V: The early years
by markab
Summary: The Visitors have started to gain control. The fledgling underground fighters need to find away to stay alive...and one step ahead, as others relish in the power the Visitors bring. Carries on from the Original mini series and takes the second generation path.
1. Chapter 1

All thanks and rights go to Kenneth Johnson.

I read V the second generation recently and wanted to bridge the gap. So I have incorperated some of the essense of the final battle in this...you may recognise some of the dialogue and situations that I have given an 'original mini series' style format.

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 _Mike Donovan was dreaming again. He didn't know that he was lying back on the threadworn bunk that had patches of damp clinging to the walls of the underground bunker that now he had to call home._

 _Mike was running. He was running through dim-lit corridors that he knew were apart of the monsterous Visitor mothership that hovered over the city._

 _He ran and ran. The walls were shiney and damp, and the air was humid the way the Visitor's liked to keep their enviroment._

 _Then he saw him. He saw Sean. Naked. Cold and white like he had been standing in the icy chiller for too long._

 _There was streams of breath coming out of his blue lips. Mike was running, but he wasn't getting any nearer to his son._

 _Sean opened his eyes. They were lifeless. Staring out ahead. Not knowing that he was even there calling out his name._

 _"Sean!"_

 _But the audio was just not there. Sean then did step forward. Blood was oozing out of his mouth. His nose. His eyes._

 _"SEAN!"_

 _Sean screamed out in terror..._

"Sean!"

Mike bolted upright on the bed, the sweat pouring from him. Juliet Parish was in the door way with her cane in one hand and a rifle slung over her opposite shoulder, "Donovan? Are you alright?"

Mike was shaking his head and stood up, he crossed over to the cracked sink and rinsed his face in the cold rancid water.

Juliet watched him. There was hustle and bustle behind her as the team were readying for their latest outing out after a tip off.

"I dreamt they did things to him..."

The bio-chemist nodded, "who, Sean?"

Mike dried his face with an off-white towel, "yeah...Sean"

Juliet glanced behind her and then back to him, "you better get ready, it's time"

Mike followed Juliet out into the dank corridor that was lit by naked bulbs hanging from the cracked ceiling. He readied his own weapon that was a stolen Visitor pulse gun. The corridor was filled with other resistors making ready for the operation.

Sancho Gomez came forward and said, "Hey...do you remember that group you spoke to the other night?"

Donovan nodded.

"Well...we've got volunteers!"

Mike shrugged as he followed the group down the corridor passing dorns and everyday rooms used by the inhabitants of the underground, "Well that's great...but it's gonna take more than manpower to beat this thing..."

Juliet turned from where she was giving final instructions about the mission, "what it is gonna take is unity...", she approached him on her cane, "...you're not big on unity, are you Donovan?"

Mike held her eyes, "Well, as you know doc...I'm used to working on my own"

There was an edge to Juliet's reaction to that, "then get unused to it...we are a team!"

VVV

It had gone midnight. The train was pulling-in, into the industrial courtyard where it came to a stop with a scretch of the breaks. From the hangar like building nearby, squadron's of Visitor patrollers came pouring out with their pulse rifles on standby.

There was a speaker system that acted as information to the train's occupants.

 _"welcome to Visitor safety center number 9. Please move quickly, but safely inside, where all your questions will be answered. We thank you for your cooperation"_

Brad McIntyre turned to Mike as they arrived at their destination, "Why are we here again?"

Mike turned, "The doc got a tip off that people were being forced off here..."

Brad stayed in the dark shadows of the overgrown alley that bordered high barbed wire fensing, "but this is industrial center...the trains that pull up here off load their cargo..."

Mike crouched down and laid flat against the pine needles, "yeah...but it's seems there is a different cargo now, huh?"

Brad laid out flat next to him and put the binoculars to his face, out ahead he could see the trains disoriented passengers standing in a group that was guarded by patrollers. He handed the binoculars to Mike, "check out the arm bands"

The ex-newsman peered into them and nodded, "yeah scientist markers...it's like what they were saying on the TV last week. They are rounding up Scientists and their familes, on the pretence that they are being taken to a 'secure' place where they will be safe and shielded from attacks from mobs of vigilantes fire-bombing their homes"

Brad looked about them knowing there was small groups of rebel fighters hiding like they were in the shadows all around them, "can't believe they've bought it...they're not gonna be taken anywhere safer..."

Mike looked at him knowingly, "We know where they'll all end up"

Brad looked up into the night sky where the lights of the Mothership stretched out in all directions.

Juliet was behind a set of bushes. Caleb Taylor and his son Elias were not too far away, rifles at the ready. She turned as Mike shuffled towards her, "It's a death camp...you don't need a tip-off to know what's happening here do you doc...?"

Juliet swallowed down. She knew what was going on as they looked across to the railroad buffers. The human prisoners had their hands on top of their heads and were being marched by the alien patrollers into the vast hangar where shuttle crafts were waiting for them.

There was a scream from within the hangar and a flash of a pulse weapon. Juliet was shaking, her hand on her weapon, her knuckles were white.

Mike's voice was in her earhole, "they are being shipped like meat to the Mothership. They are all going to the final area"

"I know...but we can save this lot", she turned to Elias and nodded.

Elias rolled the tyre he had with him and set the explosive charges. He then rolled the tyre up to the mesh fensing and it exploded into flames.

All the Visitors patrollers turned around and started hurrying in and opening fire with their pulse lasers.

The rebels fired back. Brad rolled down to the trash and fired as he went flying to safety inside a trash can.

The Visitors were now on the hangars roof and the spot lights were triggered searching the area beyond the boundary.

Juliet huddled behind the bushes as scores of rebels went foward and picked off more of the alien soldiers.

Caleb was at Julie's side clutching his rifle, "We've lost Bill!"

Juliet was shaking. It was like the mountain camp all over again. The Visitors were relentless...there was just too many of them.

There was war cries from the rebels who were at the front line. The alien weapon's fire kept on coming. There own weapons had now effect on them.

Mike was grabbing Juliet's arm, "Look!", he hissed.

Juliet could see that the Visitors were now putting on a display. They were marching the scientist prisoners out from the hangar and cold bloodiedly killed them on the spot.

 _It was all in slow motion. Juliet could see the 10 year old girl being dragged across the tarmac by her hair. She was screaming 'mommy' as her Visitor captor then forced her on to her feet and then grasped her tiny neck with it's hand. And crushed it._

Juliet felt the tears fall onto her cheeks. She shuffled back and called out, "Get back...get back!"

Mike waved his arms out into the air yelling the same, "GET BACK! PULL OUT NOW!"

In shock, Juliet clutched her rifle that she used as a cane to stablise herself...she fell over the dumped shopping cart and Mike and Sancho helped her up, "Come on...we've gotta get outta here!"

VVV

Elias Taylor was wounded in the leg, as he limped along painfully down the incline. The freeway was down below, it was empty of traffic due to the cerfew. He ducked down the underpass as a Visitor craft came flying over head with it's searchlights on full strength.

Resting for 5 minutes, he crouched down behind the garbage cans and glanced up to the Mothership above. It's lights signalling the boundary of the disc in the sky. Another Squad ship drifted by with the search lights.

Elias wasn't used to being alone. He was usually apart of the gang, the Angels. But they weren't with him to back him up this time.

He stood and kept to the shadows. He crossed the empty road and ducked beneath a low fense to the neighbourhood below. There he crossed a chainfense and over a spanse of neat grass towards a cluster of pine trees that he stood under and leaned against to catch his breath.

He looked up to see another squad ship drift by, luckily the search light was aimed beyond him. He pulled himself together and limped on through an alleyway and climbed over a wood fense that gave him splinters. A cat jumped out at him and made him fall to the trash in the dumpster below.

He then hobbled across the next road and leaned on the railings ahead of him. Down below at the bottom of the incline was the old water waste pumping plant. The headquarters of the underground.

Not far to go...nearly there.

VVV

Inside the bunker, the resistance was counting their costs, in their well lived-in conference room.

"I hit that Visitor straight in the chest and it didn't even faze him...Donovan's weapon is the only one that can touch them", cried Brad pacing up and down still wired from the mission.

"And it's the only one we've got", pointed out Sancho.

Mike shook his head and gained the conference rooms full attention, "we are running around in circles down here...this is gonna cost us if we don't turn it around"

Ruby Engels pulled her knit cardy around her and looked up,"What do you mean?"

Mike elaberated,"People would help us up there if they thought we stood a chance...these hit and run raids are useless...we need a bonanza...we need an event"

"We? When did you ever join up?", Brad quibbed at him.

Juliet rubbed her temples, "Never mind that...he's right...Donovan has a point...but lets just do what we can for the moment and that's to survive"

Caleb and another rebel named Jenny came into the room excitedly, "Elias has made it!"

There was relief in the room.

"But he's wounded..."

Juliet crossed over to the older black man and sqeezed his arm and smiled, "thank god Caleb"

VVV

Elias was laid up on a bunk within the old pumping plants thick crumbling concrete walls. Caleb sat next to his son as Juliet hobbled in on her cane and beamed a winner smile at Elias, "I knew you would make it back!"

Elias laughed trying to make light of it, "Well...you might have to go sharing that cane o there lady"

Juliet laughed with him as Jenny came to the door way, "Dr Moran's here"

Dr Jeff Moran hurried in with his medic case and unclipped it at the battered side table nearby.

"Roll your jeans up", he said quickly and with some authoritive tone. Juliet assisted him. Jeff was a good friend of hers. She had worked with him at the hospital alongside Ben Taylor, Elias's now deceased brother.

It was Jeff who gave her a place to stay when she had to leave Denny and before Elias and the Angels had found this place.

Jeff examined the wound with Juliet, he looked up to her, "Like most wounds sustained by their weapons...it's the burns that are a factor"

Juliet concurred, she knew that first hand due to her own injury. She knew now that the burns from the Visitor's weapons penetrate deep, even if it is flesh wound like Elias was victim of.

Jeff did the best he could do and dressed the wound, "Just make sure you keep ice on it and rest it for a while, call me if it gets any worse"

Elias dismissed it, "Oh it's nothing doc...the Elias will be back on his feet in no time"

Caleb pulled his son into a hug, "Ohhh leave off pop!"

"I'm just glad I've haven't lost another son to those monsters that all!"

It brought a tear to her eye as Juliet watched them. She then watched as Jeff packed up his case. Brad was leaning on the doorframe with a rifle slung over his shoulder, "I'm sorry I disturbed your lady friend"

"It's okay...Louise understands"

Jenny turned, "I hope you weren't seen out on the streets on your way here"

Jeff collected up his case, "Brad and me are getting quite the expert at dodging through the cerfew streets...but I'll stay here till morning if that's alright"

Juliet rubbed his arm, "That's fine Jeff - I need to speak to about organising a collection for more medical supplies anyway..."

VVV

The next morning, Juliet needed air. She had gotten up early just as cerfew was lifted and decided to head off for a walk along the beach like she used to do.

The beach was empty apart from her. She leaned on her cane for support, eyes focusing on the sea water crashing onto the soft sand.

She lifted her face to the breeze, she needed this alone time after being cooped up in the underground sewer that had become her salvation.

Mike Donovan was watching her from afar. He had remained out of sight for a while. He was the countries most wanted fugitive afterall. If not the world.

Slipping his hands into the pockets of his jeans, he slowly approached Julie. He extended his arm and gently touched her arm and she jolted.

"Jesus it's you..."

"Thanks"

Juliet shook her head, "I'm just feeling jumpy, that's all"

Mike lifted his own face to the stiff breeze, "It's probably due to last night..."

Juliet nodded and put a hand to her mouth, "I can't get that poor girl out of my mind...however did we let these monsters get under our skin? As a race are we that nieve"

"Don't think about that now...just get yourself together, there's alot to do"

Juliet nodded.

Mike dug his sneaker into the sand and looked out across the pacific, "It's beautiful"

"It is at the moment...but how long will it be until we are stood here on this very spot looking out to a dry barren desert"

"It won't come to that, doc"

Juliet faced him, "How can you know that? We are just kidding ourselves...you were right the hit and run raids are useless...and last night just highlighted how powerful they are...we can't even touch them"

Donovan rested a hand over her shoulder, "You're just feeling low doc...you are allowed to have a bad day... a day off from playing the hero"

"That's your role"

Mike chuckled, "I'll give you that"

Juliet sighed and shook her head, "You know what? I miss him so much...I miss him and it really hurts"

"Who? Denny?"

She shock her head and nodded off towards the right, "he is just a half a mile over in that direction...so near I could just..."

Donovan looked worried for her.

She managed a sad smile, "I'm not that stupid, what's done is done...I can never go back...not until we are free from all this"

Both of them looked up as the huge mothership above them caste an ominous shadow over them"

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	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

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Jeff Moran had returned to his apartment where his partner Louise Lawson was waiting for him with breakfast on the sun terrace. The sun was shining over the pacific, and their was a gentle breeze as Louise got up from the lounger, still in her bathrobe, and gave him a hug and a kiss.

"Sorry, I didn't wanna risk running during cerfew again"

Louise poured the coffee, "it's okay...what was so urgent this time?"

Jeff sat down and picked up a slice of freshly made toast, "One of them was injured during an operation"

Louise bit her lip and leaned forward, "You are going to have to be more careful"

Jeff met her eyes, "they need me...Juliet's not a fully trained doctor...if Ben hadn't..."

"Died Jeff...he died. That's what resistance does to you...you know how I feel about all this...it's too dangerous Jeff - besides - the Visitors haven't done you any harm, have they?"

Jeff sighed, "No but...my friends have suffered, I've just been lucky and too co-operative"

Louise shook her head as to empathise that bit, "that's why you are still here and they are not...", she stood and tightened the cord of her bathrobe, "It's not that I like it...I hate it...I hate how the Visitors have somehow stuck a wedge into our society, but what choice so we have..."

"I'll stay safe, I promise..."

"I hope so...", and she went inside to dry her hair.

VVV

The van pulled off the highway and onto the sliproad that brought them through a barrage of traffic that was heavier then usual. Elias, still in discomfort from his injury but not letting it stop him, looked around to see the entrance to the hospital was swarming with Visitor patrollers. There was a couple of shuttle craft parked in the busy parking lot.

"Get down back there...it's lizard city in there", he warned Juliet, who was in the rear of the van.

"What's going on?", she asked keeping her head low and out of sight.

Elias could see there was a security block at the entrance, so he readied his fake papers to state he was delivering surgical supplies to the medical center.

"Looks like Disneyland...must be somekind of convention"

Juliet crouched down on the floor of the van.

"Lets just get our medical supplies and get the hell out of here"

Elias nodded and moved the van up to the security gate that swung back from the high barbed wire fensing around the parking lot. Daniel Bernstein, the Visitor Youth corps guy was manning the gate, Elias had had dealings with him before...he knew how to play it, the punk was easily lead.

"Well, well, well, looks like somebody got kicked upstairs!", Elias told with a big fat forced upon grin.

"I'm a supervisor now...got security clearance", bragged the teen as he took the paperwork from Elias to check.

"Good for you...", Elias reached into his pocket and hinted a knowing smile at Daniel, "... pretty tough job then...must be alot of pressure, you know what I'm saying"

"yeah...", said Daniel, looking around knowing what was to come from the black man.

"Well, I've got what you want...", He discretley dropped a bag of weed in the youths hand as he handed back the paperwork, "...a little pop, keep you on the top"

Daniel smiled back at him and waved him to move on,"Don't get too greedy in there..."

"Never do...", Elias wound up the window and put his foot down onto the gas, medical stores was around the back, and that's where they needed to be.

VVV

The Pacific ocean rolled in across the beach below, as Kristine Walsh sat having a latte on the sun terrace of the TV News studios in LA. Diana sat opposite wearing her sun visor and hinting a smile across her face as the news woman spoke.

"...no Diana, I don't understand, you promised me interviews with the president and the secretary of state over two months ago"

Diana leaned foward and placed a hand gently over Kristine's shoulder and squeezed it.

"I know Kristine...the bureucracy drives me crazy too..."

Diana moved her hand and cupped Kristine's cheek, the alien's intense stare held the other woman's gaze until a squadron of patrollers came onto the roof terrace lead my the main Visitor himself, the admiral.

"Kristine! What a pleasent surprize", he announced with a big smile and took her hand as she stood up from the chair.

"Good to see you admiral"

Diana looked up to her superior.

"Welcome to Los Angeles John, what perfect timing...Kristine was requesting interviews with the President of the United States again"

The Admiral put his hands together and met Kristine with an apologetic look.

"Indeed, I thought my people had taken care of that...leave it with me, I will see to it personally, but in the mean time I have some good news..."

Kristine removed her sunshades as the warm breeze caught her hair.

"Really?"

John nodded and tilted his head.

"You'll have exclusive coverage, of one of the most important announcments of a lifetime...we are going to be opening the first of our healing center here in Los Angeles...and believe me, this piece will be the highlight of your career..."

VVV

Dr Jeff Moran did his shift at the LA medical center's ED. He stepped out of the sliding doors, white coat flapping around him. He lit up a cigarette in the warm morning sunshine. Today was like anyother day, the same mundane visits of the walking wounded.

Jeff looked across the way to see the Visitor ambulance back up to a section of the hospital that had been turned into a Visitor field hospital. It was a restricted area of course, no human medic in any way shape or form was allowed anywhere near. They had all been told that only specially trained Visitor doctors could treat their own.

"Hey, daddy!"

The call jumped him out of his thoughts, and he looked up to see a teenage girl running over to him from a parked car nearby.

"Terri!", responded Jeff with a pleasent smile. Terri was his 18 year old daughter, and as always now, she was dressed up in the now familiar baig coloured uniform dress of the Visitor youth corps.

Jeff was somewhat dismayed to see Daniel Bernstein, her immediate supervisor, behind her.

Terri leaned in and kissed her father on the cheek, then beamed a big excited grin at him, "daddy...I have some awesome news!"

Jeff raised his eyebrows at her, "Oh?"

Terri was why he never stayed with the resistance full time. She had quit school and joined the Visitor youth corps no sooner it was set up. Jeff didn't have the heart to tell her about the aliens huge deception to the human race. If he did tell her, he didn't quite know how she would react. Some recruits in her group had actually informed on their own parents.

Daniel Bernstein put an arm around her shoulders. Both looking identical in their baig uniforms and matching side arms.

"We are getting married!", cried Terri, who looked adoringly into Daniel's brown eyes.

Jeff was opened mouthed in shock. This news was a right bolt out of the blue.

"Aren't you going to congratulate us, Dr Moran?", Daniel asked with a smug grin he'd sooner like to punch into next Tuesday. But instead, he extended his hand out to Daniel and shook his hand, "yes...congratulations to you both...very good news", he said darkly, knowing he needed to be somewhere else.

VVV

After leaving his daughter, Jeff had made his way to medical supplies at the rear of the hospital. There he found Juliet and Elias waiting for him and he let them in in via the fire escape as per normal.

Juliet came in wearing her blue boilersuit, and she and Elias started to move the boxes of medical items they needed from off the nearby shelving.

"This is all I can spare you Julie...if you take too much then somebodies gonna get suspicious"

Juliet leaned on her cane and rubbed his arm.

"I know Jeff...but you saw what we were up against, we are going through medical supplies quicker than ever"

Jeff nodded keeping watch at the internal door as they readied the supplies to clear into the van outside.

"I know that...but they have doubled the security...it's getting too dangerous...I'm a doctor Julie, I have a daughter, if she found out that I was doing this...I don't know what she'd do"

Elias came over and pushed back the white coat on the door that blocked the view from the corridor and peeked out. He could see portering staff pushing patients in wheelchairs, and nurses walking by, but he also saw Visitor patrollers had a heavy presence. One was chatting up a human nurse near the door he stood at. The nurse was giggling and blushing. He turned back to Jeff.

"Hey, what is going on around here anyways? The place is crawling with lizards"

Jeff shrugged his shoulders as he helped Juliet carry a crate of 100 box surgical gloves over to the fire door,"Nobody's quite sure, but there's a rumor that the Visitor Admiral is going to come here soon"

Juliet looked up and met his eyes, "Are you sure?"

"That's what I heard"

Juliet glanced at Elias and then she turned back to Jeff.

"Keep your ears to the ground for us Jeff...the Visitors only wheel out their Admiral for special accasions...we've got to find out exactly what that accasion is..."

VVV

Mike Donovan ducked out of the shop doorway and strolled up the busy street with his collars up. Visitor Patrollers stood guard on street corners, and some chatted to folk who were out on the streets. Mike then heard a police siren and turned to see two fugitives come running up the street. The police car was giving chase. A Visitor patroller on the opposite side of the road raised his pulse rifle and blasted the two fugitives in the back.

Mike watched as the two runners were lying in the road, the first one had his back to Mike and he could smell the odour of burnt flesh.

"Who are they?", one woman asked.

The cops were swarming now and one officer looked over to her, "Conspiracy sympathisers...that's who"

The woman shook her head, "Well...they had what was coming to them then"

Mike ducked back, and saw the chinese man standing outside his takeout shop beckoning him. He stepped aside and Mike slipped through into the gated allyway and in through the back door.

He swiftly strode down the narrow hall and went into the back room that was dim lit. A Visitor was standing at the opposite side of the room.

Mike squinted in the half light, "Martin?"

"Yes..."

Martin removed his cap and stepped forward, "It's good to see you Mike...I have news about your son...I have managed to locate him"

Mike felt his heart race, "Where...where is he, can you help him?"

Martin shook his head, "I'm sorry Mike, but he's on the San Francisco ship...I do not have any real security clearence on that vessell, and I had to ask a friend to look him up there for me"

Mike was frustrated, but decided to ask a favour, "Look, we are trying to fight back, you know that, but we cannot touch your people with our useless weapons..."

Martin looked up, "What do you want of me?"

"Lasers...pulse rifles...at least with your kinda weapons we might start getting somewhere"

Martin shook his head instantly dismissing it with a wave of the hand, "It's too risky Mike. We have our own movement, I told you that, our network is spreading..."

"and whilst you spreading up there, we are dying down here, if we lose, you lose, we need eachother", cried Mike with some heat.

"I cannot get you weapons Donovan they are all accounted for!", insisted Martin with no intention of backing down and blowing his or the movements cover.

"then get us uniforms...please", Mike reasoned.

"Allright...I'll see what I can do...look, I must go...I'll be intouch", Martin moved towards the exit, Mike grabbed his arm.

"Martin...please, if there is anything you can do to save my son...I'll appreciate it"

Martin nodded holding his gaze, and then was first to slip away through the door, Mike waited a while, then followed.

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	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

Dr Jeff Moran did his shift at the hospital. After attending to a crash victim, he went into the staff rest room to take five. A nurse came in and turned, "Hi...I can't believe how busy it is...hey, are you alright?"

Jeff looked like he was staring off into space where he sat, and looked at her questioningly, "Huh..?"

"You...are you alright, you flew away just then...somewhere nice I hope"

Jeff smiled, "nowhere particular, Ann"

Ann laughed and flicked through a magazine with Diana's smiling face on the front fold, "Well...I've lined myself up a date for tonight"

Jeff raised his eyebrows, "Oh...who is it this time, not that Kevin guy from upstairs again? You know how bad he treated you last time"

Ann laughed that off with a wave of the hand, "Oh no, not that jerk! No...this one's special...real special...with him being a Visitor and all"

Jeff was thin lipped, "Your date is with a Visitor?"

"Sure...what's so wrong with that?"

Jeff shrugged, and then both looked to the doorway where a Visitor came in and looked at Jeff directly, removing his cap, "Dr Moran? We need a favour...a medical emergancy, and your consultant lead insisted we speak to you..."

VVV

Kristine Walsh parked her datsun in the middle of the loading bay and stepped out. She ran across the lot and into the sliding doors of the ED. Inside, she managed to catch up with the paramedics that had brought her mother in.

"Is she alright? Has she got worse?"

The doctor who took the medical notes from the paramedic looked up to Kristine, "Ms Walsh...I am afraid that your mother is having serious breathing difficulties. I think you might need to prepare yourself for the worst"

Kristine swallowed down and hurried to the stretcher trolley that carried her mother, and took the frail woman's hand, "Mom...it's Kristine...can you hear me?"

The old lady managed to flutter her eyelids, most of her lower face was within the oxygen mask. The doctor looked up to her, "Ms Walsh...we will do our utmost best for your mother, you know that..."

And then she was wheeled through the double doors to resus. Kristine smoothed her hands down her neat trouser-suit and bit her lips. She turned and sat down onto a plastic seat waiting for the worst.

VVV

The Visitor shuttle was in flight over the city. Inside, Jeff Moran sat opposite the Visitor that had come for him at the hospital.

"I don't understand all this secrecy...you can at least tell me where I am headed...?"

The Visitor looked up, "I can see this is all rather ominous...let me introduce myself for a start...I am Russell...like yourself I am a medic"

Jeff looked at him in the dim lit confine of the shuttle, "you work at your field hospital...I have seen you there a few times", told Jeff.

Russell nodded, "I was called out earlier to treat a woman amongst your people that are...being detained"

Jeff could tell that Russell was being very cautious with his words.

"Detained? Why are they being detained?"

Russell looked uncomfortable but smiled, "they are scientists and their familes that have been put into camps for their safety...please, when we arrive...you will soon understand why they are there..."

VVV

Kristine had been waiting for over an hour for news on her mother. She turned from the hot drinks machine and headed to the resus unit. Peering through the small window, she could see that the stretcher trolley was vacant. There was no sign of what-so-ever of her mother.

Her heart started to race a little as she became anxious. She turned and saw a Visitor patroller approach her, "Ms Walsh...would you come this way please...Diana is waiting for you"

Kristine frowned, "Diana? She is here at the hospital?"

The Patroller gently ushered the way forward, and she moved ahead down the corridor.

VVV

The Shuttle had touched down outside the camp. As Jeff Moran exited the ramp, he took in his surroundings. He was standing outside the checkpoint entry gate to a huge enclosure, that was surrounded by 20 foot high mesh fensing that was topped with rolls of ugly bard wire.

Inside, he could see people walking about the dry dustbowl ground, some were in groups, some were on their own and some were with children. Jeff focused on the perimeter fensing and glanced at Russell who seemed to be able to read his thoughts.

"Don't be too concerned about the high fense Dr Moran...it really is for their safety"

"Their safety?"

"Indeed...it's function is to safeguard them from attack. Many scientists and their familys here have fallen victim from mobs of vigilante thugs that want revenge for the outrageous lies your scientists have brought to your people over the years...at least here all together in their own little community they are safe and secure...wouldn't you concur Dr Moran?"

Jeff didn't know what to think. He nodded forward, "Why have I been brought here?"

Russell ushered the way forward towards a group of tatty looking out-buildings near the perimeter fenses left wing, "One of the women here is giving birth, but there are complications that we are not familiar with..."

Jeff guessed that human and Visitor births were probably very different, "You better show me to her..."

VVV

Kristine Walsh approached through the double doors and into the clinical white room that lay beyond. The room had been oblivously been converted by the Visitors.

Diana stood near a bank of complicated looking computers, then came forward smiling at her, "Ahhh, Kristine...thank you for coming..."

Kristine tried to force out a smile but she wanted to go back and find her mother, "Diana? I wasn't aware we had scheduled a meeting?"

Diana shook her head, "No we have not...but I wanted you to see this for yourself...", she took Kristine's arm and lead her into an ante-chamber where she was startled to see her mother up and about and being checked over by Visitor medics. Kristine's mother turned to her.

"Kristine! A miracle has occurred!"

Kristine gasped and stepped forward taking her mother's hands into hers, "Mom? What...I don't understand..."

Diana came forward looking all pleased, "It's quite simple Kristine...your mother has had the great privilage of being the first to use our healing center..."

Kristine turned to her, "You mean she is..."

"Quite free of all her ailments yes...she is totally in admission from her lung cancer, and her respiratory functions are back being near normal for somebody of her age...of couse she still will need rest...but...yes, she has been completely cured"

Kristine was overwhelmed. There was tears in her eyes and so was in her mothers. Diana stood there staring at them with a hint of a smile.

VVV

At the scientist camp, Jeff Moran was examining his patient. He had been quite impressed of what he had found. The building had looked quite tatty on the outside, but inside there was a capsule room that was sterlised clean and white with Visitors medic staff on hand. His patient was on a steel trolley and had been given adequate pain relief.

"The baby is in breech"

Russell looked at him as if he didn't know what that meant. Jeff elaberated, "the baby is going to be born backside first..."

Russell glanced at his fellow Visitor medics and then focused back to Jeff, "Is this something you are an expert in? Of course we can assist and be of service in anyway you require..."

Jeff nodded, "We'll need clamps...more pain relief and a little of Gods help...there maybe alot of tearing and blood loss...she should have had an emergancy C section, but that's too late now..."

Russell handed him a surgical gown that was orange and had a big Visitor symbol down it's front, "You will find everything you would need here, I'm sure Dr Moran..."

VVV

At the hospital, Kristine watched her mother as she got herself ready to go home. Diana came forward and took the newswoman's arm and lead her out into the corridor, "So...is everything satisfactory with her?"

"Yes Diana! It's like what my mother said...it really is a miracle!"

Diana held her eyes, "Good...I am so glad to hear you say that because...before this facility opens offically in a few weeks, we would like you to be the first to tell your captive audience about how we saved your mother...isn't that something you would heartfeltly like to share with your viewing public?"

Kristine was pleased, "Of course...this is just...how amazing is this? You are all doing so much for us...how can we, as a race, ever thank you..."

Diana let the gaze linger, "I'm sure the human race will pay us back...in many useful ways Kristine..."

VVV

Jeff Moran had successfully delivered the breech-birth. Mother and baby were doing well. As he cleaned himself up and scrubbed off into the stainless steel sink, he looked towards a door that was slightly on ajar. He crossed over and peeked through it, to view a sea of camp beds and dirty laundry hanging from ropes across the rafters.

There were shapes in the campbeds, and some folk were sitting up and staring off into space. The living conditions looked filthy, but it was hard to squint through the half light.

He heard someone approach and hurried back to the sink and dried off. Russell walked into the changing room, "Well, thank you again Dr Moran...the mother and infant are back with their family"

"Where exactly is that? With a newborn child...it needs to be clean...you know..."

Russell stepped aside, "If you come this way Dr Moran...the shuttle is waiting to take us back to the city"

Jeff pressed further, "I still would like them to come with us...so I can check them out properly at the hospital"

"There is no need...and it's impossible, it is best for them not to leave the camp...it is not safe out there for them"

Jeff realised there was no budging. He knew deep down that the scientists here were prisoner. He thought about Juliet's raid the other night and realised that those scientists on the train were going to be taken here or somewhere very similiar.

Quickly, Russell led him back through the narrow corridor and out to the exit. Passing by a half open steel door, Jeff could see a strange looking chair with what looked like dried blood around the base of it. His heart raced. He was glad to be leaving this place, but quilty for leaving all those others behind.

One thing he was sure of...he needed to see Juliet when he got back to the city.

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	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

Dr Jeff Moran climbed over the fense and jumped down into the ditch that was littered with garbage from over flowing dumpsters. He then negotiated his down the steep incline and hurried towards the defunct waste water building that was headquarters of the underground.

Ex-LAPD cop Brad McIntyre was on lookout and indecepted his approach. He came forward and pulled Jeff down behind a half fallen wall.

"Hey! Do you want to be seen!"

Jeff was apologetic, "Geez, sorry - I wasn't thinking...look, I've gotta talk to Julie"

A siren whined in the background as Brad nodded and lead the way in through the steel doors.

VV

Juliet was in her lab. It was a mis-matched cluttering of scientific equipment that was scattered about the single workbench.

Juliet turned and beamed a smile at him and rubbed his arm, "Hi Jeff...you never said you were stopping by..."

Jeff nodded, "No...look...I've gotta tell you something...I know where all those scientists on the trains end up...I've seen it"

Juliet looked puzzled, "They end up on the Mothership, don't they?"

"No...not straight away...they are brought do these enclosures...they are all pended in...it sorta reminded me of those concentration camps from world war 2, you know...?"

Juliet was taking it all in, "and you were there because...?", she trailed off.

"They needed a doctor to deliver a breech-birth. It seems breech-births don't occurr with their kind"

Juliet perched on the battered lab stool, "well...with their very different physiology I guess not...so this camp...where is it exactly?"

Jeff shrugged and leaned on the worktop, "I'm sure to be honest...I was flewn over there in one of their transporter shuttles, but it looked like the desert east of here...about an hours ride, I guess"

Juliet bit her lip, "So...did you see anything else? What was this camp like?"

"Basic...those poor people are living in squallor. The Visitor medic who accompanied me there, informed me that the scientists were brought there for their own protection from people that might want to attack them for all the lies the Visitors have blacklisted them with"

Juliet chuckled and shook her head, "Sounds like it to me that's it's all just one big set up"

Jeff frowned, "What do you mean?"

Juliet looked at him, "they have done all that to use you...use you as a mouthpiece to tell others that 'hey, all the scientists are being cared for in camps - all safe from being persecuted or attacked'. You can spread the word that the Visitors are doing good and have them in their best interests, when really..."

Jeff shook his head, "Yeah...I don't wanna even think about that..."

Juliet grabbed her cane and lead the way into the dim corridor that had masonry and plaster pealing from the crumbling walls.

"Look...use this to your own advantage...they trust you...you can use it to find out stuff...stuff that can make a difference and report to us...can you do that?"

Jeff shook his head, "I'll try..."

VVV

Mike Donovan stuck his hands into his jacket pockets as he moved up the sunbaked street and looked over to the whitewashed appartment block that was utilised with a cooling swimming pool and shady palms to sit under.

He looked up to the belcony of the second floor and saw Kristine step out and lift her face to the sun for a few moments.

Mike crossed the road and entered the iron gate to get access to the fire escape that ran up the back of the building block. A shuttle flew by and he ducked underneath a pine-needle tree that was intergrown with giant palms. He was confident that he had not been seen.

Once the coast was clear, he was climbing up the fire-escape steps as fast as his sneakers took him.

He could hear Kristine's voice on the phone as he approached the rear exit of her appartment.

"You still have to rest Mom...I know you feel like a new person, but please...what the Visitors have done for us is a miracle...lets not push it...I'll stop by later...love you, bye..."

Mike climbed in through the open window with the lace net curtain flapping about him.

Kristine came out of the kitchette and gasped, "Mike! My God!"

Mike gave her one of his lop-sided grins, "surprized to see me, huh...?"

Kristine shook her head not taking her eyes off him, "well yes...last time I saw you was on board the mothership...you were being away to the detention area, I assumed..."

"Hey, that was months ago and a lot has happened since then"

Kristine folded her arms and looked on edge, "Mike...what are you doing here? You do know that if they catch you here they will shoot to kill"

Mike laughed, "Boy, I'm that much a threat to them!"

Kristine held his gaze and then tore her eyes away, "Please...go...I don't want to have to..."

"Turn me in? My God Kris, is this what it's come to...?"

He stepped forward and looked down at her, "Kris...I've come here because I need your help...do you have access to the San Francisco mothership?"

She screwed her face up, "Frisco? I guess if I was to turn up, they'll know who I am...why?"

"Because that's where they've got my son, Kris..."

"Sean? Why would Sean be there? Mike you are not making any sense!"

Mike paced about the room and rubbed his cheek, not sure whether what he was about to say was going to make that much of a difference, "because that's where they took him, when they took the town Kris...5 months ago they took all the people in San Pedro and packed then aboard the motherships...some here in LA, some up in Frisco"

Kristine was having trouble taking all of this in. She shook her head and raised her hands, "I really think you have lost it Mike...boy if you haven't before, you certainly have now...why would people be taken up to the motherships for? What purpose?"

Mike leaned on the arm of the couch...a couch that she and him had made love on a few times a while back, "Some will be used as cannon folder the Visitors need in the war with their leaders enemy...and the rest of them will..."

Kristine looked at him, willing him to continue, "Come on...tell me, what will become of the rest of them...?"

Mike looked to the marble flooring, "food Kris...the rest will be used as food"

Kristine stood there for a few long moments, then she casually padded over to the front door on her slingbacks and opened the door, "Mike...the Visitors did a wonderful thing for me yesterday...they cured my dying mother...as you know she had lung cancer...and now thanks to the kindness of these people...she is fighting fit and healthy again...and you want to talk to me about people being packed board the motherships...scooping up whole towns? What planet do you think I'm on...now...if you don't mind, please go..."

Mike was hesitant.

"Please Mike...don't make this hard for me...I have made my choice...can't you see that"

Mike could see her eyes were welling up and he hurried to the door...paused to met her gaze...and then drift out and down the stairs...Kristine slowly closed the door.

VVV

Jeff Moran walked into his beach-front appartment and closed the door and loosened his tie. Louise was sunning herself on the verander and removed her shades as he stepped out from the french doors.

"Jeff...you are late...I thought you said you were finishing your shift early and was taking me out..."

Jeff shook his head, "I had to stop by at Julies. Tell her about yesterday"

Louise sighed and looked at him touching his 5 Oclock shadow with her beautifully manicured fingers, "Honey...they were scientists...it's not that it matters, not really...I've been thinking about it today...you said they told you they were being kept there for their own protection...hasn't it even occurred to you that they might be telling you the truth? That scientist who used to live across the street...her house was firebombed remember...maybe this is what they need..."

Jeff was fuming, "really! You think that a mother and her newborn baby should be living in squaller...have no access to a hospital...and forced to sleep on a skanky campbed that's probably hasn't seen a clean sheet for weeks!"

Louise stood up and placed her hands on her hips, "It is none of our business Jeff! If those scientists hadn't lied to us in the first place...keeping cures for cancer back because of their own greed for research grants...then maybe they wouldn't be in this position in the first place! Jeff...I know the Visitors aren't saints...I have seen the brutality on the streets...I know that just maybe, our government is no longer running the country...but like it or not Jeff, these people mean business...haven't you noticed the laser guns they carry? Do you really think the human race can stand up to them? No Jeff we can't...they'd wipe us all out at the flick of a switch...", she went to go back inside and paused and looked at him, "it's all just war games Jeff...Juliet and her underground won't stand a chance...not against them..."

"So we just roll over and take it...?"

"I think...we have no choice...but to do just that"

Jeff watched her go back in and sighed heavily. Louise was just one person. Just it was a damning thought that there was 100s of 1000s out there who felt the same way as her.

VVV

Brad McIntyre was waiting on the corner of the street. He watched a former friend of his Greg walk out the deli in his LAPD police uniform and approach the squad car parked on the curb.

Brad was out recruiting. Greg and him had been friends since high school. He hadn't been sure whether he could trust him, but he wanted to try.

He pushed himself forward and approached him as Greg was in the drivers seat. Greg was working alone.

"Hey Greg..."

Greg turned to him, "Brad? What the hell happened to you man? I heard rumours that you joined up to underground..."

"I did...you know...after what happened to my ex-partner Rob...he vanished into the night when he didn't co-operate...I wasn't gonna end up the same way"

Greg rubbed his chin, "So you are not going along with them? Man, what are you playing at! I should arrest you for illegal fraterizing with the underground"

"They are lying to all of us Greg! They are not even like us!"

"Brad...I've known you since high school...but it seems our friendship ends here...", Greg reached towards the dash and Brad knew that he was going for the handgun...Brad slapped his hands down hard onto the roof of the car in sheer frustration and made a run for it.

Greg jumped out of the car and aimed his handgun. Brad had disappeared down the alleyway where trashcans were built up and were acting as a man-made shield.

A Visitor patroller and his superior captain came running over, rifles at the ready, "What is it?"

Greg pointed, "just an old friend of mine...he's apart of the underground...", he turned and faced the Visitor captain, who had a black african likeness, "Sir...his name is Brad McIntyre and I denounce him as part of the underground..."

The Visitor captain placed a hand over the cops shoulder, "You have done well to inform us...he will be captured...he was a former police officer, we have his details and likeness at headquarters...it is only going to take a matter of time before your friend is captured...believe me..."

VVV


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

Mike Donovan stuck his collar up and hurried up the street. People were out and about getting on with their daily business and carried on around him. He glanced across the street and saw a group of Visitor youth corp members helping Visitor supervisors put up posters that promoted the "Universal friendship between our people and yours".

Mike glanced up to the Mothership in the sky over the city and thought about those who were packed board it in thoses cocoons he had seen.

Sean was in one of those in stais aboard the San Franscisco mothership. He didn't know how he was going to do it - but he was determined to get his son back - one day.

He came to the curb and waited for the lights to go green so he could cross the street with a horde of others. He heard a shuttle fly by over head and sighted more helmet wearing Visitor patrollers on the street corners ahead of him.

He wondered if they had his face tapped in their minds. He was the worlds most wanted man. If the Visitors were as advanced as they claimed, surely they would immediately recognise him...but they didn't...he just walked on right by them and they looked at him and carried on with their patrolling, dismissing him as another face in the crowd.

VVV

Juliet Parish paced about her dark and dismal lab on her cane, she was fuming with anger at Mike Donovan after telling her about his encounter with Kristine Walsh.

" You jeopardized everything when you acted on your own! You have tried to reason with a traitor!"

Mike shook his head and waved out a hand at her, "What choice do I have doc? They've got my boy and I am fast running out of options of getting him back!"

Juliet met his eyes, her voice continued to be harsh and she wasn't going to back down her anger at him.

"Donovan, I expect you to think of us before you think of yourself! You are risking all of us Donovan, you don't even care about us!"

Donovan dismissed that and raised his own voice, surprized that she could even think that of him.

"Hey come on, that's not true"

Juliet perched onto the lab stool and tried to explain why she was so angry at him.

"This underground is delicate...the more and more they take hold, the less chance we have of staying hidden, and going to traitors like her asking for help...it's just risking everything"

Mike closed his eyes and put his back to her. He had been thinking about what he was about to say to her for weeks, but now he had to tell her what was important to him, and what he needed to do before he had time to concentrate on the underground.

"I know...look, I should go...Brad was right when he said I wasn't a joiner, and I'm not...I should stay away"

The look on Julie's face told Mike that she was abit rocked to hear that, she swallowed and pressed forward at him.

"So you are walking out on us? Is it that simple?"

Mike nodded and with as much honesty he could make sound in his words, he explained himself.

"Doc...the only person I care about is my son, and getting him back safe is my only aim...I work best working alone and that way I put nobody at risk, but myself...and on a selfish note, I don't have to think about others...and you...and the underground...you will all function better without me endangering you all"

Juliet swallowed down again, she tried a small smile at him as she took in his words and processed what he had said to her.

"Donovan...please, reconsider..."

Mike held her gaze, then he broke it and looked to the dull concrete floor.

"No...my son comes first everytime...until he is safe, I cannot help you or your underground, I'm sorry"

And Mike swiftly took off, leaving Julie feeling like she wished she hadn't over reacted at him for seeing Kristine. But would that of made the slightest bit of difference? Because she knew, deep down, that he would have left at some point anyway...

VVV

Mike was on his own now. He had left the base of the underground and made his way down dark alleys towards the beach. He was thinking about his next move. He had to get to San Francisco and that meant infiltrating the Mothership up there.

He crouched down and pulled out his red Visitor uniform from his rucksack. His eyes trying to form a plan in his brain. He replaced the uniform into the rucksack and carried on down to the beach.

VVV

At the same time, Juliet had called a meeting with members of the underground in the conference room. She spoke on the edge of upset and with a touch of concern in her tone.

"...so...he's decided to leave us...and go look for his son"

Brad shook his head looking somewhat not too surprized to hear it, "Well there you go...it's like what I said, he's used us to please himself...he dosen't care about you or me, you, you and you...none of us"

Various others shook their heads as he spoke.

Elias, stood there in a tatty red Tshirt rocked his head looking at them all, "that's right...he's a lone wolf man...he's just wants to go look for his boy...but lemme tell you...so what? We have all lost folks man! I've lost my brother Benjamin...but you don't see me walking out on us with a sole aim and sod everyone else..."

Caleb raised his eyebrows at him.

Juliet rested her bum against the battered tabletop and called for quiet, "listen...it doesn't matter what his aims are...we still have to carry-on without him...we all have to fight this thing in our own way...his is just a different way to us..."

She looked towards Ruby who smiled encouragingly at her, and she carried on, "we know that the scientists are being taken to those camps Jeff told us about...I think we should take one of the trains...get there and tell the world what is going on"

Jenny shook her head, "that sounds okay in theory, but how are we gonna take a train? There are too many of those damned patrollers about...and even if we did show the world the state of these camps...would the viewing public even care? Scientists are the big no, no at the moment...as far as they are concerned, scientists should be put up against a wall and shot"

Brad looked around to her, "I betcha that's already happening at the camp"

Juliet grabbed their attention again, "no listen...this is what we do...we make sure we know the time the train pulls in at central, when it is empty. Then we can smuggle and hide weapons and ammo on the train...ready for when we need it"

Sancho frowned, and raised his hand, "errrrr...how are we gonna get onto the train to use it? We are not scientists..."

Juliet shook her head, "No...you are not...none of you are...but...", she stood upright and stepped forward on her good leg, "...I am"

VVV

Mike stood on the curb and saw the taxi cab approcah him. The cab stopped ahead of the busy traffic and Mike jumped inside where Martin was sat in the back. Martin instructed the driver to carry on.

Martin turned to Mike, the Visitor looked annoyed, "You've risked everything by contacting me..."

Mike nodded, "I needed to see you, and our go between contact owned me a favor...look...I'm going up to Frisco...I'm gonna sneak aboard the..."

"No Donovan you can't! There is no way you will even get on a shuttle to get aboard!"

This was news to the ex-newsman...before, he always just put on the uniform and stepped aboard a shuttle, he frowned at the Visitor, "What do you mean by that?"

"They've increased security ten-fold. You have to show a boarding pass to get onto a shuttle Mike...", Martin informed him.

"I suppose that's all my fault"

Martin just looked at him and nodded.

Mike blew out a heavy sigh. He felt incredibly helpless. He was starting to feel like that there was no hope what so ever of freeing his son. That Sean would stay in stais for forever and a day.

Martin could feel Mike's pain, but there was nothing he could do about it, "look...I have those uniforms you wanted, I just hope that you are not planning something that is ill-conceived"

"I've left the underground...I was all set on heading up to Frisco...but if I can't getta pass to board the Mothership up there, how am I ever gonna free him, huh?"

Martin leaned forward, "I want to help you...but with security so tight at the moment...there is very little I can do"

Mike was beaten, "then it looks like I sticking around here then...I feel like I right bozo!"

"Bozo?"

"Never mind...I'll be in touch", the cab stopped and Mike swiftly exited the vehicle. Martin watched him go, then told the driver to move on.

VVV

Juliet sipped her tea and tried to grab some rest. Jenny then popped her head around the raggy curtain that was boundary to her 'room'

"Hey...you wanted to see me?"

"Yeah...", Juliet sat up and patted the space beside her on the makeshift campbed. Jenny sat.

"look...I was thinking about how we are going to get those weapons onto that train and it made me think about something you said when you joined us"

Jenny chuckled, "You have a long memory, that was months ago"

"Well...it's a bit delicate and you don't have to do anything you don't want to do, okay?"

Jenny frowned, "sounds ominous!"

"that Visitor patroller you said you seeing...kissed a few times...", began Julie watching her reaction carefully.

Jenny looked like she was going to throw up, "Nick? I'd rather forget about him!"

"Well, I know it must have been horrible for you...but you said he goes out and patrols much of the area..."

Jenny shrugged at her "That's what he said...he used to be posted to guard the Richland plant during the night...before we blew the place up, of course"

"So you think he does Central? If he's there patrolling, we could do with a distraction", said Juliet, knowing that it wasn't something she would want to do and be comfortable with.

Jenny in-took a breath and met Julie's eyes, "I suppose I could...just as long as I don't have to kiss him again! But, you do know he won't be the only guard there..."

"Yeah we know that...but they usually use three and they are pretty much spaced out...hopefully with a bit of luck on our side...we'll be lucky..."

"And you could do with all the luck you can get...doc"

Juliet looked up and both she and Jenny saw Mike standing there with a sheepish grin on his face.

"Well...Mr Donovan...you certainly couldn't keep away...what's wrong...couldn't find a bed for the night?"

Jenny stood and ran a hand through her dark long hair, "I'll leave you two to it..."

Mike watched her go and thumbed back at her, "She don't look pleased to see me..."

Juliet sighed and stood up, "Well...this morning you left us and I told them that you were...persuing other committments...which brings me to ask...what happened? I thought your sole aim was saving your son"

Mike seethed through gritted teeth, but he didn't mean for his demeanor to sound harsh, "he cannot be saved...not by me...not by them...not by anyone..."

Julie was genuinely sorry for him, " I'm sorry to hear about that...isn't there any hope at all?"

He shook his head and turned to her, "...to go get him on my own, I'd be a fool...just like you if you further this stupid plan you've concocted"

Juliet's face frowned at him. Mike enlightened her.

"Elias was telling me about it when I met him on look-out...he wasn't best pleased to see me...but inturn he told me about this hairbrained scheme about using yourself as bait"

Juliet broke eye contact and shook her head, "Elias has a big mouth...and anyway...somebody needs to be on that train when it's in transit...I'm a scientist...I'm what they want"

"But surely..."

"No...there isn't...I'm doing this...I have to do this...people have a right to know what is happening to our people...we may not get another chance...if they start suspecting, they'll just close ranks and cover it all up"

Mike sighed out and rubbed his eyes and sat upon her bed. He looked up, "Okay...look...I met Martin earlier...he's got the uniforms that could come in useful"

Juliet's eyes lit up at him, "You are in?"

Mike shook his head, "I guess I am doc...I guess I am"

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	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

xx

Jeff Moran looked across to the pacific ocean as he stood with his morning coffee on the veranda. Louise came out from the french doors wearing a revealing silky nighty and slipped her arms around his waist from behind, "I thought you might want to come back to bed, honey"

Jeff shook his head as he continued to stare out ahead of him, "I can't, I can't stop thinking about Terri...she called earlier...she wants me and you to meet Daniel's parents"

Louise let him turn to face her, she shrugged, "They might be very nice people...meeting them might give you more insight to Daniel"

Jeff dismissed that, "I've already summed him up, believe me...he's a dirty little brown-nose who'd inform on anyone if it meant getting a promotion"

Louise sighed at him as she went and poured herself a coffee, "Ohhh come on...he can't be that bad...look...just wait and see...everything will turn out just fine...you just count on it"

VVV

Jenny looked into the shop window at the electrical items on display. She pushed her hair back behind her ears. It wasn't the items she was focusing on. It was the shuttle that was landing behind her that she could see in the reflection of the glass. She could see the doors lift and lower and the ramp extend for the passengers to dis-embark.

About ten or so Visitor patrollers strode out carrying their pulse rifles over their shoulders - but it was only one of them she focused on...the one whose Earth-name was Nick.

Jenny turned and made a start to her mission. She strode across the street with a cheery smile and called out to him, "Hey, soldier-boy"

Soldier-boy was what she used to call him. During the first weeks of the Visitors arrival, she had spotted him. First he was dressed more as a technician with a cap, then one day he appeared in the full combat patroller garb he wore there on - and that's when she gave him his nickname.

The young Visitor Nick turned and lifted the visor of his helmet and Jenny could see his gorgeous wise guy features. She knew his wavy brown hair was under the helmet.

"Jenny?"

Jenny approached him and breathed a smile, he was a good head taller than her, "Hi...long-time no see"

Nick glanced to the rest of his patrol and turned back to her, "I am happy to see you...where did you go? It's been a long time"

Jenny gave him a sad face, "I betcha' you've got yourself someone-else now, huh?"

He shook his head, "No...", he stared deeply at her...intense, Iike Visitors always do... like they were trying to read your mind.

"good...maybe, if you like, we could meet later after my shift at work"

Nick glanced back to his patrol who were now waiting for him, "I'd like that Jenny...look...I have to go...", he met her eyes and Jenny recognised all those old feelings surfacing.

He was a monster...underneath all that fake skin...but when you fall in love for the first time and discover the man is not all he seemed...it left a lump in her throat.

"Meet me tonight...at the bar we used to like when we first met, about 7 Oclock..."

He nodded and touched her arm gently, then downed his visor and marched off back to his group. Jenny's smile faded and she swallowed down trying to pull herself together.

Afterall, she had a mission to complete.

VVV

Jeff Moran drove his ford up the suburban tree-lined street. The white houses with their swiral down porchways pertruded from the neat row of houses. The grass was a rich green and a gardener was tending to some rose bushes across the quiet well kept street.

Terri was at her fathers side in the car. It had been a week since Terri's surprize engagement and they were drawing up to the Bernsteins place.

Louise who was sat in the back of the Ford car smiled at Terri, "Wow, what a lovely well kept neighbourhood...it seems very quiet here"

Terri turned in her seat towards her, "Daniel says it's real boring. He's getting a place for us downtown after we are married, so we are in with all the action"

Jeff stopped the car on the curb. He unbelted his strap and turned to his daughter, "ready?"

Terri opened the door and jumped out into the warm sunshine. Jeff looked to Louise in the back, "this is just crazy"

Louise reached out her hand and gave his shoulder a squeeze and they both got out to join her on the sidewalk.

On the top terrace, Daniel could see them on the street and grinned like a cheshire cat and called in through the open french doors, "Mom, Dad they are they are here!"

Downstairs, Lynn Bernstein looked up from where she was reading and stood. Stanley was coming in from the back room.

"Stanley...Daniel says that they have arrived"

Stanley looked at her and then went to the window and peered out as the doorbell rang. Daniel was flying down the steps and wasn't best pleased, "Come on, come on, don't just stand there...open the door!"

Lynn jumped to speed and went to the door and pulled it open, Daniel barged his mother out of the way and beamed a winning grin for his fiancee, "Terri!"

Terri kissed him and Daniel grabbed Jeff's hand, "Good to see you again doc! This must be your beautiful girlfriend!"

Louise laughed as Daniel reached for her hand and planted a kiss on to the back of it. Louise looked at Terri, "Wow...what a charmer!"

Daniel ushered them inside, and flicked his fingers towards his father, "Hey pop...where the hell are the drinks?", he rolled his eyes at his guests, "...sorry...you really can't get the staff", he clapped his hands at him, "Come on, move it! Go get the drinks"

Stanley shuffled in his carpet slippers and went to the drinks trolley that was partially hidden behind a potted fern plant.

Lynn came forward and Daniel went and stood beside her, "Mom...this is Terri...the next Mrs Bernstein"

Lynn shook the girls hand and managed to muster up a weak nervous smile, Daniel laughed, "Now then lets get this party started shall we..."

Lynn turned to her son, face showing that she was hopefully saying the right thing, "She is very nice Daniel"

Jeff watched her reactions carefully, and then turned to see Stanley Bernstein with the drinks trolley, "Whiskey...Gin...beer?"

Jeff noticed the horrible looking scar on the older mans arm, Stanley was aware of this and rolled down his sleeve quickly.

"Beer please"

Louise came forward, "I'll have a white wine if there is a bottle?"

Daniel turned to his mother, "Go to the store and get one...now"

Lynn was snatching up her purse that got tangled with her reading glasses that hung around her neck, she then went out the door.

Louise glanced at Jeff and then at Daniel and said, "Ohhh if there wasn't any wine...you needn't of bothered...we should have brought a bottle along..."

Daniel shook his head, "Nonsense...she can get it...that's what she's here for to skivvy after me!", he laughed, Terri laughed too.

Stanley shuffled forward and handed Jeff his beer, he handed one to Daniel who snatched it off him and pointed to the pool outside, "Lets go through...it's a great day outside"

VVV

Jenny smiled at others who milled about the littered hall, and into Juliet's makeshift lab at the abandoned waterworks. Juliet looked up from what she was doing and smiled at her, "So...did you see him?"

Jenny nodded, "Yes I did...I'm gonna go meet him later and lay the ground work"

Juliet grabbed her cane and she accompanied Jenny through the hall to the dingy kitchen, "Well, I've got Linus onto where we can stash the weapons onto the trains, he used to work for a company who make them and knows where all the secret compartments are...and Elias and Caleb are doing an inventry on the weapons themselves...we really can't afford to lose any"

"When are you thinking?"

Julie paused and looked at her, "as soon as you find out if, and more importantly, when Nick's out on patrol...if he is...we can go from there"

"No pressure then"

Juliet turned in the kitchen and was serious, "Jenny...if you are not up for this...it's okay...we can figure out another way"

Jenny shook her head, "No it's fine...I'll do it"

Juliet looked grateful, "Thank you"

She turned and sighed, "Now...all I need to do is make myself known...and to do that, I'm gonna have to get out of here and in the open air where they can see me...and take me"

Jenny was worried, "What if they don't take you to the train...what if it all goes wrong"

Juliet didn't answer, she smiled at her and moved on.

VVV

The Afternoon at the Bernsteins place wore on as they sat out the back next to the poolside. Jeff picked up his glass of fine champagne and Terri pointed out, "Danny gets that from the local liquer store...they give him whatever he wants"

Jeff nodded. Louise smiled at her, "It tastes devine, I love champagne"

Jeff turned and faced Stanley who was sitting to his side at the patio table saying nothing, the doctor could see the older mans shirt sleeve had ridden up and he could see the scar.

"That looks nasty...burn was it?"

Stanley looked incredibly nervous and pulled down the sleeve and was agitated. Lynn came over from the shade and sat next to her husband. She knew what Jeff had seen, "my husband can be very clumsy...can't you Stanley"

Daniel then came strutting forward and lifted the empty bottle from the table, "hey pop...go and crack another bottle open will ya...we are supposed to be celebrating aren't we "

Daniel was very merry when the late afternoon shadows came. Terri had jumped into the pool to cool off and Daniel dived in and joined her.

As they giggled and messed about splashing in the water, Lynn fiddled with the arm of her reading glasses and turned to Jeff, "Your daughter is a very nice, Dr Moran...but I cannot see what she sees in my son"

Jeff frowned at her, "You do not approve, I take it?"

Lynn raised her eyebrows at him and lowered her voice, "Do we have a choice in the matter? Does any of us?"

Jeff bit his lip and watched the young couple ape about in the pool, he then turned toward Stanley sitting in the shade in deep thought as he watched them.

"They did that to his arm, didn't they? The Visitors?"

Lynn met his eyes, and it was the look in them that affirmed it. She dared not utter a word from her lips.

Lousie then came towards them from the house, "You sure have a lovely home Mrs Bernstein...there is such an oldly world about it, if you don't mind me saying"

Lynn nodded at her and watched her sit, "yes...that's my father-in-laws influence..."

Louise sipped her drink, "Oh...where is he?"

Lynn held back a sad demeanor, "he's no longer with us..."

Jeff knew exactly what she meant by that, even if Louise chose not to.

He looked at his watch and stood, "well...it's time we were off...", he saw that Terri was busy frollicking with Daniel in the pool, "...tell Terri I'll call her later..."

VVV

That evening, Jenny crossed the busy street and saw Nick the Visitor patroller standing beneath the tall palm in the fading sun. He wasn't wearing his helmet and vest or carrying a pulse rifle, so she knew he was off duty.

She breezed a smile and he totally surprized her by revealing the bunch of flowers that he had hidden behind his back.

"I understand that the male buys the female flowers when they...go out on a date...is that the term?"

Jenny took the flowers...they were lovely and she was geniunely taken aback, "they are beautiful...nobody has ever bought me flowers...thank you Nick"

The Visitor gave her one of his attractive white teeth grins, "beautiful flowers for a beautiful female...I mean...woman"

Jenny swallowed...he's not real, just keep telling yourself that, she thought and nodded towards the bar, "Shall we go inside..."

Nick let her pass in the coming dusk and said, "after you..."

And they went inside.

VVV

"Special delivery..."

Mike Donovan dumped the folded Visitor uniforms onto the pile of crates. Brad came forward and looked at him, "Is it one size fits all?"

"they scretch yeah...where's Juliet?"

Brad nodded towards the lab, "in there...she's waiting news on Jenny"

Mike went into the makeshift kitchenette where old Ruby was putting the kettle on, "Mr Donovan...I do hope you haven't really given up on that son of yours?"

Mike didn't know what to say. Of course he hadn't given up...it was just that it was an impossible task at present.

"I haven't given up Rube...one day"

Ruby came forward with a tray of bakes, "well, I glad to hear it...now then, I can't do much for the resistance but I can feed your bellies"

Mike went to pick one off the tray but Ruby slapped his hand and tutted at him, "Not yet! You'll burn your tongue!"

Juliet chuckled as she walked through on her cane. She had just washed her hair and had a towel wrapped around her head, "Ohhhh, do take one Mr Donovan...if you burn your tongue, we'd be spared your wisecracks"

"Haha"

Ruby let a teacloth settle over then on the side, "I'll cut them up later"

Juliet smiled at the old lady and she squeezed her hand. Mike leaned on the counter and cut to the chase.

"So...have you thought about how you are gonna make yourself know? If you do this...there's no turning back you know...you'll have to stay in hiding...I should know...I am the worlds..."

"...most wanted man!", she jumped in cutting him off, "yes you have reminded us at every opportunity"

Mike folded his arms, "You'd be the worlds most wanted woman...how can you lead a band of rebels and be that well known...you'd of blewn your cover..."

Juliet considered what he was saying but shrugged her shoulders, "then that's what it'll have to be...Donovan...as you keep telling us...you are the mosts wanted fugitive...you don't stay in hiding...you still get to move about up on the streets without getting shot at..."

He looked smug and pointed to his chest, "that's because I'm fast...and smart"

"and too cocky for your own good...look...lets just get the first part of the plan together first...hopefully Jenny will be able to give us a date we can do this..."

Mike raised his eyebrows as he looked at Ruby's bakes again, "do you think she'll be able to pull it off..."

Julie was nodded yes, but deep down, she just hoped the girl was okay...

VVV

Jenny came out of the bar and looked at her watch, "Oh my God, it's so late, it's nearly curfew...I better get back home before I get into trouble"

Nick the Visitor tilted his head and grinned at her, "I can vouch for you"

Jenny fluttered her eyes at him, "Oh? So...if you can do that, then maybes I can come and see you on duty one night...somewhere close by..."

Nick looked troubled then said, "well...the only place that is quiet is central...your train depot...I'm there Wednesday night"

Jenny made a mental note, "Wednesday sounds great...but are you sure...you know...", she placed a finger to his uniform and smoothed it across his chest, "...are you sure you can vouch for me after curfew..."

He leaned in to kiss her and she backed away.

"I don't want to get into trouble"

He held her eyes for a long moment, "You won't..."

She smiled and on tiptoes gave the Visitor a peck on the cheek, "I better go...I'll see you Wednesday...say about...9PM"

Nick nodded.

"It's date...", Jenny waved and put her back to him and crossed the dark street towards the alley that took her towards the west, whilst in the alley she paused and leaned back against the whitewashed wall of a terrace and stared at her flowers.

She then tossed them in a nearby trash-can and hurried up the alleyway, not noticing somebody watching her from the shadows.

VVV

 _ **more soon...I do hope there are people reading this Lol. If there is any character you would like see pop up in this story let me know (K Johnson character) and I'll see what I can do.**_


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

Juliet had called a meeting. It was time to go over the final points of their mission to make sure that everybody knew what their role was and what was expected of them.

All eyes of the assembled group looked to her from around the gloomy surrounds of the conference room as she continued.

"...so later on today, Jenny will go to central and meet up with the Visitor she is using...whilst she keeps him busy, and hoping that it all goes to plan, we can sneak onto the train and plant the weapons on-board"

She paced about in front of them on her cane, "Now...Linus will lead this exercise because as you know he used to work with these trains closely each day...he will show you where to stoll the weapons...", she nodded towards him and he came forward.

"As Julie has said I am leading this mission...each carriage of the train has ceil compartments where the electrical wiring is hooked up...there isn't much space but there is room for at least 10 or 12 guns or rifles...I think that 5 of us will be enough to carry out this task and we go through all 10 carriages...the rest of you will wait out in the wings as look-out and if things do turn pair-shaped...you'll be our only hope"

Mike came forward, "...yeah, as Linus has said...the rest of us will be backup and I'll be leading that...so we will be wearing these..."

Elias carried in a crate with the Visitor uniforms folded in, "...we might not be needed but with the patrollers at central see us in uniform, they'll hesitate...and even if it's a split second, it will give us an advantage"

Elias folded his arms and chewed is gum, "we're gonna fry them toads"

Juliet placed a hand over his shoulder and chuckled, "lets hope it won't come to that...well...not till the main event and it's depending on tonight if that goes ahead or not"

Jenny glanced at her watch and jumped up on to her feet from the box she was sitting on, "Julie I best get home...I've got a 'date' to prepare for..."

Old Ruby turned and and took her hand into hers, "You be careful...", Jenny gave Ruby a parting hug and she was up and off up the dingy corridor.

Juliet smiled at them all, "okay...that's it for now...we'll meet back here in 6 hours..."

As the group departed out, Mike rubbed his cheek and approached Juliet, "so...the main event then...still gonna go and use yourself as bait?"

"I have to Donovan...there is no other way"

Mike tried to sound like he was talking for all the group, "all this lot depend on you...they look up to you...they rely on you to lead them..."

Julie met his eyes, "then if it all goes wrong, then you can lead them..."

VVV

The TV image displayed the camera strobed Visitor admiral enter the hospital. Kristine Walsh voice overed as he shook hands with high ranking hospital officials in smart suits and medical consultants.

"...as the Visitor's Supreme Commander and Admiral shook hands with hospital leaders today, he is ready to make an offical opening of a sheer monumental gift to us..."

Kristine's face appeared on camera, microphone held up in front of her, "this reporter can finally reveal something truely remarkable...the Medical Center here in LA will be the very first to open it's doors to the newly installed healing clinic...and I can tell you...it really is remarkable...I have seen the results personally and I can honestly inform you that the Visitors are our saviours..."

The footage cut to the warmly smiling Admiral, he stood in the bright sunshine in his shades, "I am absolutely honoured to be here today Kristine and offically cut the ribbon if you like to our first healing center...anybody can visit and I would personally like to invite all your viewers out there with life threatening medical conditions such as cancer to come along...your lives will indeed change...for the better"

Diana stood in the foreground. Her image was blurred at first in the camera angle, but the report ended on her face as her eyes litually bored into the camera...and the hint of a very pleased smile forming on her lips...

VVV

Lightening struck across the night sky as thunder rolled in from the pacific. Central station was quiet and dark and the train that the Visitors used to ferry scientists to the industrial complex before taken to the camps was dark and still.

Jenny bit her lips together then, with her hands in her jacket pockets, she strolled over to the locked gate of central. She looked at her watch. It was 9. She smiled when she looked up to see Nick the Visitor come striding over from the quiet darkness he unlocked the gate and swung it aside.

"Hi", Jenny breezed.

Nick lifted his visor to his helmet and flashed her a grin, "I was starting to think that you weren't going to stop by..."

Jenny shuddered and placed her hands onto his shoulders, "I'm pretty nervous...I thought I might get arrested for being out so late"

Nick placed a black gloved hand to her face and brushed her cheek as he stared intensely at her, "You'll be okay, as I promised I'll vouch for you..."

Jenny then watched as he slid the gate shut and locked it. Making her locked in.

She swallowed and he turned and took her hand and went to kiss it, she smiled and at the same time and trying not to make it look obvious, she hoped that she was putting his back to the rebel actionplan that was to follow her cue.

Linus was at the barbed wire fense and Elias was at it with the wire cutters, "beats cutting ourselves up", he whispered.

Behind them in the dark shadows, Brad and Caleb kept careful watch and had their weapons ready to use if necessary.

Elias managed to cut a hole big enough for all of them to scramble through and in turn one after the other they did so in quick precision.

Mike Donovan was looking over from a roof of a building that looking down to central. He and 10 others were dotting about in crook and creves with their weapons poised.

Sancho came crawling to his side and smiled, "they are just going in now..."

Mike nodded and kept focused. They ducked into the shadows quickly as a shuttle patrol craft came flying over the roof tops.

Linus, Brad, Elias and Caleb were stooped low as they hurried alongside the first carriage and Linus went to work on the lock. The door hissed open on manual and they all breathed a sigh of relief that no Patroller heard their entry.

As they entered the first carriage, Linus reached up and lifted the ceiling panels and in quick swift actions, a relay of hands passed rifles and hand guns along line and they loaded each panel with 5 or six weapons.

They entered through into the next carriage and repeated their actions.

Brad looked out the window to see a Visitor patroller stroll by. They all ducked beneath the window line and waited for the alien to pass, then they swiftly got back to their mission.

Linus was whispering, "There that should do it...there should be enough weapon and ammo on here to fight an army of them...the rest is up to Juliet"

Elias nodded from the shadows and stuck his hood up as they all looked both ways and snuck off the train at the last carriage.

Jenny was well aware that time was getting on...it must of had been at least an hour since she had shown up and that was the planned time allowed for the plan to fall in.

She strode alongside the train with Nick as the clouds parted and the full moon lit up the area.

"Well...I better get home"

Nick glanced at her and frowned, "What...so soon?"

Jenny chuckled, "I'm deadbeat...I have to get up early for work in the morning"

Nick nodded and looked like that he was thinking about something, then he met her eyes in the moonlight, "So...do you still work at the same place of employment as when we first met?"

Jenny swallowed, "Yeah...sure"

Nick nodded. And then turned and paused her, "so'em...did you like your flowers I gave you the other night?"

Jenny laughed and put her hands together, "Ohh yes...they were lovely!"

Nick raised his false eyebrows, "You kept them?"

She nodded, "of course...they are a reminder of a lovely evening we had..."

"Liar!"

Jenny was taken aback, "What..."

Nick leaned into her face, "I saw you throw them away"

Jenny was in a dither, "I...well...erm..."

Nick took firm advantage of her confusion, "...and you've lied about your place of work...I checked...they haven't seen you in over six months"

"I've changed jobs...does it matter"

Nick chuckled and looked at her, "What is the phrase you humans use...", he snatched her arm tightly that it hurt her and she could bruise, "...oh, oh yes, give me a break!"

He then dragged her along towards the gate.

VVV

Up on the roof, Mike pointed to the situation. He had promised Juliet that he would keep an eye on her.

"Look Jen's in trouble"

Sancho and the others followed Mike down the spiral iron fireexit steps and rounded the corner.

Mike called out, "Hey...wise guy!"

Nick turned away from where he had Jenny up against the wall with her top ripped open.

"Mike Donovan!"

His pulse rifle was leaned up against the wall. The Visitor went to snatch it up but Mike jumped fowards and kicked the alien to the concrete ground. Jenny grabbed the pulse rifle and lunged it towards Mike.

Mike caught it and as the alien went to jump up, the tip of the rifle was in it's face, "that's enough...you be a good alien and keep that mouth shut", he hissed.

Sancho and the others all raised their weapons to cover him, "He knows we are here, I say finish him", said the Mexican.

Mike went for the firing operation, Nick looked towards Jenny with pleading eyes, "No...Jenny please help me"

Jenny stepped forward and spat on him, "Do it"

And Mike fired.

VVV

"...and then we hid the body...if they found out about his death then they'd know we were there for a reason and..."

"Check the train...", breathed Juliet, "...no you did the right thing...but I'm sure they will miss him"

Mike folded his arms, "So...when's it gonna be? The big day when you..."

She met his eyes from where they stood in the damp corridor of the base, "I'm gonna call on Denny...and if a bit of luck...he'll denouce me..."

Mike was clearly trouble, "You are taking an awful risk doc"

Juliet smiled sadly and had tears in her eyes, "It'll be nice to see him...and a part of me hopes that he'd of missed me so much he would join us...and fight back..."

"Well...we'll all be there...that day...do you think you can talk on the other scientists on that train with you to use the weapons we've stashed on aboard?"

She shook her head, "I'm hoping they'll see me as a natural leader you all seem to think I am...You just have your camera ready...the world NEEDS to know what's going in and that there is NO conspiracy..."

"I'll be ready..."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

Juliet held her face to the warm sun and closed her eyes. It felt good to be out in the fresh open air after spending days cooped up in the base. She crossed the road and moved to the beach. The blue pacific crashed onto the shoreline as she made her way the best she could on her cane across the sand to bathe her feet.

There was a dog running across the sand and came up to her and sniffed around her, it's owner smiled at her and called out, "Come on boy...leave the lady alone"

Juliet watched as the dog chased after it's owner and part of her wished she still had a normal, ordinary life to carry on with. She looked up as two Visitor shuttle craft glided by and were heading inward to the pacific. The Mothership was behind her over the city.

She turned and carried along up the sand and came to the line of appartments that backed onto the beach. And there he was, Denny. Bare chested and staring out to the ocean. His hand on the veranda rail and he looked like he was in deep thought.

She paused and pulled aside the strands of long hair that had escaped her frenchbraid.

And...he turned his head and their eyes met.

VVV

Brad and Elias were watching the line of people form outside the hospital. The Visitor healing center was offically open and the doors were flung open for the ailing, the failing, and the walking wounded.

"Looks like the whole of LA has turned out", commented Elias. Brad nodded from where they stood on the corner looking across over the parking lot, "yep...they cure the ailments of the world and are our saviours..."

Elias looked at him, "You telling me if your old Mom was dying you wouldn't send her down there...?"

Brad met his eyes, "would you?"

"My Ma's dead"

"What about Caleb...what if HE was ill...?"

Elias dismissed it, "He aint ill man...just let us get us outta here man, I've a seen enough"

Jeff Moran was then behind them, they both jumped and he laughed, "That'll teach you be off guard, what the hell are you guys doing here?"

Elias frowned, "just seeing what's going off"

Brad looked at the doctor, "is this for real? I mean...CAN THEY cure the ills of the world?"

Jeff shrugged, "well THEY SAY they can...and if THEY CAN...well...that's me out of a job", the doctor then spotted the Visitor medic Russell come approaching from his unit out of a Visitor medical shuttle, "you best be off"

Elias and Brad acted cool and slided off as Russell watched them go and turned to Jeff in the morning sunshine, "Dr Moran...I thought you would be right in there with us to see the results of our center..."

Jeff looked at him and frowned, "really? But I thought I wasn't invited"

Russell patted him on the shoulder, "We are friends aren't we not? You are my guest...please, come and see our progress already today...you will really be amazed I am sure..."

VVV

Juliet stood on the veranda. Denny had pulled a Tshirt on and came out from the open doors to the appartment.

"Julie what are you doing here?"

The Bio-chemist shrugged and smiled at him sadly, "I woke up this morning and decided I wanted to see you"

Denny studied her. His eyes met hers for brief moments and then he looked away uncertain.

"Look...Denny...I know this is abit out of the blue but..."

Denny stepped forward and was insistant, "You can't be here Julie...I am doing really well...my company has given me a promotion and money markets at an all-time high"

Juliet sadly smiled, "Ahhh...business as always"

Denny shook his head, "What else is there? You walked out...you said you couldn't stay...the Visitors are doing everything they can to pay us back for the help we are giving them and it's paid in bonuses...just now on the TV they have opened up a healing center here in LA...the first in the world...people don't need doctors anymore"

Juliet swallowed down, "but they still need stockbrokers?"

Denny laughed, "Course they do...with the markets as they are..."

He was cut of when Juliet winsed in pain and clambered into a nearby seat. Denny was taken aback and stepped forward, "Julie? What's wrong?"

Juliet tried to play it down, "I hurt myself a few months ago...it's nothing"

Denny realised that he was too focused on himself that he hadn't noticed the limp and the cane, "hurt enough to use this? Julie my god what's happened to you..."

Juliet met his eyes, "You still care?"

He took her hand into his, "Course I still care...I've never stopped caring..."

The breeze wofted through his hair as he sat next to her, their hands still linked...Julie eyes watered up and she turned away...she had been bottling this up for so long...just to see him again.

"Julie...you aren't appart of this god damned conspiracy are you? Is that the reason why you left...I thought it was because people were...running away...I thought you were doing the same"

Juliet swallowed down, sniffed back the tears and foccused on him, "If I am...you are gonna have to turn me in...aren't you...?"

VVV

Russell turned as he and Jeff Moran stood at the busy reception area of the healing clinic. Kristine Walsh was nearby conducting interviews with awesstruck patients that had been cured of their ailments. She had a mic stuck in front of a woman who had just came out of treatment room 7.

"They say my cancer is gone...for good!", cried a woman who was bald from endless chemo and radiotherapy, "...weeks of painful groreing treatment...and THEY cure me within a few minutes!"

Jeff turned to Russell, "I think that dig was to me and my staff...it seems I really will be out of a job"

Russell shrugged, "but that is a good thing, isn't it? A world where a doctor is no longer required"

Jeff was sardonic, "yeah...and replaced with a machine"

"It's far MORE than a machine, Dr Moran"

Jeff chuckled, "Yeah...but it can't deliver breech births though, can it?"

Russell held his eyes, the aliens stare was uncomfortable as they all were, "ALL things have their limits...machines...and people"

VVV

Brad and Elias rounded the corner to where they had parked their battered Ford and saw a cop car parked up behind it and Greg looked over to him.

"Dammit!", gasped Brad, "Go go go!"

Elias launched off into the opposite direction and jumped over trash cans and into an alley. Greg radioed in and sirens wailed out. Brad took off up the street as Greg jumped into his car and gave chase. Brad jumped over a low fense and darted through a border of pine trees and over a white wall and into a neighbourhood garden.

Greg screached his squad car to a halt and jumped out as another cop car came screaching around a corner and stopped outside the iron gates to the park.

Brad ran passed the communial swimming pool where kids dived into the water, parents picked up their kids as they saw cops giving chase across the deep green fake turf.

A Visitor skyfighter came swooshing over and hovered over the park. Kids and parents screamed and took cover as bright blue laser burst came raining down and knocked Brad from his feet and into the pool.

Greg came running over with two cops with him. Brad swum to the otherside and, soaking wet, went running to the border Coco palms and over the wall.

The Visitor fighter gave chase.

VVV

Denny stormed into the appartment and Juliet followed him, "You just have to make the call...that's all"

Denny waved his hands in the hair at her, "I am NOT turning you in!"

Juliet shook her head, "Why not? I'm a scientist...I'm the enemy remember...THEIR biggest threat..."

Denny poured himself a scotch even if it was too early, and met her eyes, "No...I won't do it...I-"

She shook her head, "Don't say it...look, Denny...you want to know how I hurt myself? I was caught stealing equipment for a lab at a pharmaceutical outlet downtown...the Visitors were there and they shot me"

Denny's eyes looked quite troubled as he consumed her story. He knocked back his scotch and poured himself another, "You wouldn't do that..."

She shook her head, "I did...and they...they got Ben too...but he...", her voiced was cracked as she continued, "...he wasn't so lucky"

Denny rolled the glass around in his hand, "you saying THEY killed him"

"that's right"

Denny shook his head and looked up at her, "I think you should go...I'm not going to turn you in, so just go and get someone else to play your stupid games"

Juliet raised her eyebrowes and reached out for his arm, "...but if you turn me in...think of the career opportunities that might open up for you...you've been promoted right...maybe you'll get promoted again..."

Denny thought about it and looked at her, "just a phonecall right?"

Juliet breathed out, somewhat dumbstruck with his reaction. She had hoped deep down that he wouldn't go along with it...just be there for her...be on her side...

She closed the silence, her voice quivalling slightly, "yes...just one phonecall..."

And he crossed over to the counter where the phone sat next to the TV and looked at her one last time and picked up the receiver.

She closed her eyes and the tear rolled down her cheek.

VVV

Brad ran through the graffiti amassed underpass and out through the other side where Visitor patrollers were manouvering to block his way. Their pulse rifles aimed straight at him.

The Ex-cop went to turn back through the underpass, but Greg was coming through with two Visitor patrollers accompanying him, Greg raised his firearm.

Brad raised his hands and said, "Hey Greg...it's me...it's Brad"

"Just keep it shut Brad...you are under -a-rest"

Then the black Visitor captain pushed by and stepped forward, "So...it seems that you couldn't keep running forever...none of you can, you will all fall foul to us in the end..."

Brad looked about him.

"...of course if you make a move to escape...I will kill you"

Brad knew there was no where to go, he eyeballed the Visitor captain, "what sort of creatures are you...you've lied to us! you are not like us at all!"

The Captain was not smiling, "we are an intelligent race whom will do anything to make sure our race survives ...even if we must take from your people"

The Captain reached out his hand and grabbed Brad's cheek, "I am glad we are different from you...your race repulses me to the core"

Officer Greg started to feel and look awkward beside him, Brad noticed his ex-partners discomfort, "I speak the truth Greg...these monsters don't look like us at all...they are lying to us..."

The Visitor captain had had enough and laser fired into Brad's leg, and he slumped to the floor.

"He is only stunned...", he told his fellow patrollers, "...take him to the troop carrier"

Two Visitor patrollers took an arm each and dragged the unconscious Brad up the incline to the Visitor craft that sat on the top of the underpass flyover.

Greg swallowed down and met the Captain's dark eyes, "did he speak the truth? Are you all lying to us?"

The alien rose an eyebrow and held the humans gaze for a long moment before he answered, "of course he spoke the truth...even if I tried to cover it up you would always be wondering - and alert others to your doubting concerns...", he broke eye contact and turned away from him for a second, "...that is why direct action is needed to be enforced here..."

Greg suddenly felt like he wanted to run, his heart was racing, "what...action?"

And the Captain's weapon fired again...

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	9. Chapter 9

NB: Thanks for those who reading story.

CHAPTER NINE

"Shit man...shit, shit, shit!"

Elias took cover behind a row of parked cars as he saw Brad being dragged up the ramp into the Visitor troop craft, he then saw the Visitor captain with the same skin color as his own, climb up the steep bank and lead two patrollers that dragged another prisoner into the shuttle, this one was in cop uniform.

Within moments of the doors lifting and closing, the craft lifted off into the air and headed up to the the looming Visitor metropolis that hung in the sky above them.

VVV

Juliet didn't have to wait long before a cop car pulled up outside Denny's apartment. She saw it from the window and turned to Denny who stood with his hands in his trouser pockets and stared out to the ocean.

"I'll be okay...I think"

Denny closed his eyes and shook his head. The door knocked and he couldn't look at her as he crossed the room in barefoot and opened the door.

Juliet looked and painted on a cheery smile, "I guess you have come for me..."

The burly cop removed his cap and came forward, "you are Juliet Parrish?"

"Yes"

"Then you need to come with us"

The cop gently took her arm and whilst being lead out of the apartment, she looked back to Denny.

He had his back to her and as the door closed, she never would see the tears rolling down his cheeks and feel the pain in his heart of what he had done.

VVV

Mike Donovan laid flat on the building roof opposite the street and saw Juliet being placed in the back of the police squad car. It drove off, Mike sighed and swallowed down...he just hoped that everything played to plan...or it was the end for her.

VVV

Elias had made it back to base and told everyone about what had happened to Brad, as the gathered group were in shock, there was growing concerns among them.

"What if Brad talks? What if he tells them where we are?", said a guy in a wheelchair.

Caleb could see that his son was troubled by that fact, but he shared the guys concerns, "he could talk...as Donovan has said, they have means of getting information...they'll torture him for it"

Sancho agreed and lifted his stetson slightly, "he's right, I've suffered first hand by their torture routines...I was lucky, Donovan saved me...there's no chance for Brad...they could make him talk"

Ruby looked at one worried and concerned face to the next, nobody said anything or stirred, so she gasped out, "Come on! One of you has to take the mantel now Juliet's doing her thing...what are we going to do?"

Elias was about to answer when Mike came in and leaned on the side, "We do what we have been planning...yeah, we might have to move base - but lets see what happens first...there are plenty of other underground cells out there across the city...we can easily join one of those...now...", he stepped forward, "...she's been taken..."

VVV

Aboard the mother-ship, Brad had never been in such pain. He had never faught back so much in his life. His arms had been badly burnt with a blow torch. One of his eyes had been gorged out and three of his fingers and been hacked off.

He had been injected in the neck that made his lungs turn to fire and he was starting to feel like he was losing his sanity...but he faught back...they were getting nothing from him...nothing.

As he stood up leaning against the wall of the blood stained torture chamber, he heard the door slide aside and the black Visitor captain who had so enjoyed forging pain on him grabbed his bad arm tightly and pushed him through into a lab where the dragon queen herself sat at her desk, she turned in her chair and looked up to the captain.

"We can no longer learn anything from him...it seems he either knows nothing or very little about the resistance...", the captain reported to her obiediently.

Diana held her gaze at him, "...yet we know that it exists... and that it grows..."

Brad was in sheer pain and said nothing.

Diana looked at him with sharp eyes for a lingering moment seeming to enjoy the sight of the tortured soul and then set her eyes back to the Captain, "take him to...the final area..."

VVV

Juliet was sat in a chair down at the police department. The police lieutenant sat opposite her in a smart suit and a warrant badge around his neck. He looked up at her from a file, "Juliet Parrish, you registered as a scientist 6 months ago and then disappeared off the radar, where have you been I wonder?"

Juliet smiled back at him, "I was hiding out...I got scared because of all the disappearances"

"Alleged disappearances...it is more likely they did what you did and ran away Miss Parrish"

Julie again smiled back at him, but said nothing.

The cop stood and looked over beyond her, she was aware of the sound of somebody in jack-boots on the approach, and twisted around in the chair and saw a Visitor captain with brown hair with two patrollers in his wake.

"You informed us that you have a scientist in your custody lieutenant?"

"Yes...here"

The captain looked at Juliet and nodded to his patrollers, "take her down to the holding bay...she can join the four others we have picked up from hiding this morning..."

Juliet grabbed her cane and was helped out of the chair by the first patroller and she was led away.

The police lieutenant watched them go and then turned to the Visitor captain, "what will happen to her?"

The alien captain smiled at him, "as you know we like to keep all the scientists in one place so they can be kept safe from...harm"

The cop had heard the rumors, "the camps?"

"That's right...good day lieutenant and very well done"

The Visitor strode off leaving the cop wondering what harm the scientists would face...if any.

VVV

Juliet was placed in a holding cell with four others. By the appearance of them, they looked like a family. Mom, Dad and two children.

The Dad looked at her with frightened eyes, Juliet held out a hand to him, "Juliet Parrish...I'm a scientist, they got me this morning...you?"

"Jake Marshall, Biologist...me and my family here went into hiding with friends...until the so called friends were lured in by the rewards the Visitors have been dishing out..."

Julie nodded, "Yeah...it seems they really want all of us out of the way"

Jake's wife looked at her, she held a shoulder of each of her children, "What's gonna happen to us?"

Juliet tried to sound confident, "Well...they will be transporting us to the camp...they've gathered scientists in these camps outside of the city...that's where we will be headed"

"Camp? What for?", asked Jake, "and how could you know that?"

Juliet pulled a strand of hair out of her face, "I just do...lets say, I've heard rumors"

The gate was then slid across and a patroller held out a tray of what looked like armbands were placed, "Take one each and slide it up your right arm"

Juliet took one and did so. Jake and his family did the same, the Mom helping the kids with theirs.

The alien slid the door shut and strode off. Jake looked at Julie, she enlightened him, "they mark us as scientists...everybody will know who we are...and that's why we won't be safe...clever..."

"What?"

"Don't you see...the Visitors have blackmarked us on the TV...this conspiracy and everything else...they have turned vast masses of the public against us and with us wearing these things, we are susceptible for being attacked and need the Visitors for protection...they've got t all sewn up"

Jake looked beaten, "then we are doomed"

Juliet remained quiet, she didn't know if she could trust him...so she sat on the bench and waited...for them to take them away.

VVV

Mike hid out in the bushes...night had fallen and the moon was behind a cloud, the crickets chirped about him. He looked up to Kristine Walsh's appartment and saw the light was on. He kept to the shadows and clambered up the fire escape and pulled out the note from his pocket.

It read.

 _Be at Eastern industrial depot tomorrow afternoon at 1300...BIG STORY_

He had gotten somebody else to write it incase Kristine recognised Mike's handwriting. He climbed in through the open window and placed the note onto the table top next to her purse.

He heard the shower running. He backed away and then left as quick and swiftly as he had entered.

VVV

As dawn broke, Juliet was in a line of prisoner scientists with their hands on their heads and being lead on board a bus that was scheduled to take them to Central. Jake and his family were behind her as they crossed the parking lot and climbed aboard the yellow school bus. Patroller presence was heavy and their weapons were ready to fire if necessary.

Juliet sat down and Jake sat behind her with one of his kids. Juliet turned her head and smiled at him, "be ready...when we get to that train...be ready"

"For what?"

"I'll tell you nearer the time"

Jake looked at her and frowned as the bus was full of frightened prisoners. Women, men, young and old.

The bus pulled out of the police depot and onto the street amongst the daily traffic. At a phone booth, Elias watched it go and dialled the number to another phone booth at Central, "we're on..."

VVV

At Central, Sancho replaced the receiver and tipped his stetson at a group across the busy street, they were all resistance and they had their arm bands at the ready to infiltrate the train.

The lead one crossed the street to the back gate. He had the key stolen from Nick the Visitor Mike had killed a few nights ago. He opened the gate and slid it across descretely and nodded to the others.

In turn they ducked through inside the grounds of the station.

VVV


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

xx

Juliet's stomach was tied up in knots. She glanced down to her watch and saw that it was nearly 1130. She looked out of the window and realised that Central was not that much further away.

She turned back to Jake who was trying to be brave for his son. The Visitor patroller who was aboard the bus spoke up in a loud sharp voice.

"When we get to central, you will all leave this bus and wait at the gate. Once there all your questions will be answered and if you have any concerns, it will be a chance to bring them up"

VVV

At Central, the group of resistance fighters were hiding at the plaform area awaiting the time to join the other prisoners on the train. Each had slipped on one of the armbands that singled them out as scientists.

VVV

Kristine Walsh slipped her shoes on and glanced again at the note that she had found on the table top the night before.

BIG STORY

She frowned. She was also abit unnerved because it was obvious that somebody at broke into her apartment while she was in the shower.

Mike had to be apart of it surely. He had broken into her apartment before, there was always the chance that he would do it again.

She had called her cameraman this morning and he was going to meet her at the depot. She bit her lip and felt abit awkward. She hadn't informed the Visitors about what she was doing and she felt kind of bad, especially because they had been so good to her since their arrival and curing her mother like they had done at the healing center was way beyond anything she could do to repay their kindness.

Kristine stood up and grabbed her purse. She was at first and foremost a journalist, a newswoman and this was her job.

A car honked it's horn outside. She checked her hair in the mirror picked up her keys from the side and left the apartment.

VVV

The yellow school bus was parked outside of Central and the scientist prisoners were off loaded and lined up at the gate. People in the street looked at them and some were vocal enough to give them a barrage of abuse about how selfish they had been for keeping back cures for cancer, and saying that the world no longer needed human scientists because the Visitors have promised to cure and make everything right in the world so they wouldn't be the need for them.

Juliet lined up and leaned on her cane. She spotted Sancho across the street at the payphone and he gave her a very slight nod. She acknowledged him but was very subtle and nobody even knew she saw him.

Jake Marshall and his family clung close together. The Visitor patrollers came forward and made sure everybody was in line. A shuttle glided past and Juliet noticed that more and more of the Visitors propaganda posters were evident promoting the Visitors universal friendship with the people of Earth.

The gates were open and the line was on the move.

VVV

Kristine was in the back of her cab and it stopped a little way up the street from the industrial center depot. A van was parked underneath a pine tree and she saw her cameraman was at the wheel. She stepped out of the cab and it drive off. She crossed over to the van.

"So what's this all about?", asked the man in the drivers seat.

Kristine told him the truth, "I really haven't a clue Glen...I just got this note saying about a BIG STORY...what time do you make it?"

"It's a little after 12 noon..."

Kristine nodded, "1300 hours the note said...this better be good"

VVV

On the platform at Central, Juliet stood and looked about her, she could see that the resistors with the armbands had infiltrated with the others and stood about her on the platform.

Visitors guarded them with the rifles at the ready and their faces hidden behind their dark visors.

 **"ATTENTION - WHEN THE TRAIN COMES TO A HALT YOU WILL ALL MOVE ONTO THE COMPARTMENTS QUICKLY AND QUIETLY - REPEAT - MOVE QUICKLY AND QUIETLY - ALL YOUR QUESTIONS WILL BE ANSWERED WHEN YOU ARRIVE AT DEPOT 4"**

Juliet glanced at her watch and swallowed down. She would be lying if she said she didn't feel uneasy, her heart was racing and she just hoped that everything went to plan.

VVV

Glen peered through a pair of binoculars and gave Kristine a running commentary.

"There's something going on down there...this place is more than a place to off load cargo...I can see inside the hangar and there are about 4 or five shuttles parked inside..."

Kristine frowned and took the binoculars from him and had a look for herself, "yes...I can see...that's really strange...it's as if they are inside the hangar because they don't want anybody to see them...?"

Glen nodded to the perimeter fense, "I'm gonna take a closer look..."

Kristine nodded and stood by the van and watched him go...

VVV

The train pulled in at Central and the doors slid open. Julie watched as some of the scientists boarded the train without question, but for those people were unsure and hestitant got a swift shove from a Visitor patroller who 'made sure' they boarded the train without any trouble.

Juliet used her cane and Jake helped her on board, the under-cover resistance fighters made sure that they were spread out along all of the carriages.

Juliet sat down and held onto the rail as the train started to move.

VVV

At the depot, Glen stalked the perimeter fense and saw that a heavy Visitor presence was now dominant. He knew this place because he used to live around here as a teenager. This place was just your everyday industrial center.

Why would there be a need for heavy Visitor presence for?

Kristine was getting edgy. Of course she trusted the Visitors, they had done nothing but good in her eyes since they had first arrived and she was already at the planning stages of writing a book about her experiences.

She felt guilty. Like she was going behind the Visitors back. Diana had been so good to her and had awarded her the Visitor spokesperson role.

She felt like she was spying. But she was a newswoman too

And she knew that Mike was somehow at the bottom of all this.

Glen was hurrying back to her, "Kris...somethings gonna happen what time is it?"

She glanced at her watch, "it's coming up to 1230"

"1300 you said...not long to wait now..."

VVV

On the train, resistance fighter Howard looked across to another fighter Roger. He gave a slight nod and the other nodded back.

They waited for a Visitor patroller to walk by before Howard stood up and looked up to the secret compartments in the ceiling. The scientist next to Howard frowned questioningly and then was wide eyed when a rifle was passed down to him.

"Pass the down", he hissed with an authoritive tone.

The scientist passed the rifle down to the couple in front of them and Roger was doing the same on his side of the train.

A Visitor patroller came through from the next carriage. The was a nervous tension in the carriage from everybody until he lifted his visor to reveal Mike Donovan.

More and more weapons were being passed down the aisles and this was happening in each of the eight carriages of the train.

Juliet clutched the handgun given to her and Jake was clutching a rifle at his feet, "So this is what you meant by 'I'll tell you later'", he hissed with a knowing smile.

Jake looked around and saw a Visitor come striding down the aisle towards them, "and if I tell maybe they'll go easy on my family!"

Juliet was shocked and tried to reach for him, "Jake no!"

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	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN

The Visitor looked towards Jake who cried out, "they are gonna kill you...I have got nothing to do with this!"

Juliet gasped out, but was relieved to see the Visitor lift his visor and Caleb was stood there, Jake pointed to Julie, "It's her! She's gonna get everybody to rise up against you!"

Caleb raised his hand and clumped him one round the back of the head, the scientist slumped forward unconscious, Juliet looked up to Caleb, "We're on..."

Everybody was on edge. Juliet stepped forward to the rear of the train to see Mike and rebel fighter Jimmy restraining a real Visitor guard, Mike looked up to her, "this ones the only one we've kept conscious...I assume we can use him"

Juliet nodded and met Mike's gaze with a smile, "We can..well done Mr Donovan"

Jenny came forward pulse gun poised and said, "everybody who is able is on side...they just don't know what to expect when we arrive at the depot"

Jimmy laughed, "We use these things and start showing these suckers whos in-charge...", he was talking about the pulse rifle he was waving about.

Juliet was adament, "No...we are not! This is not about violence...we are doing this to show the world what is happening to our people"

The train shuddered and rocked slightly from side to side meaning they had switched rails and on the way to the depot.

Juliet looked up to the Visitor who was in Mike and Jimmy's grasp, "We'll show the world just what they are...", she glanced to Mike, "...just as long as the media is watching or all this is for nothing"

Mike met her eyes and gave her a lop-sided grin, "She'll be there...I know Kris...and if there is even a snifter of a good story, she be there..."

VVV

Kristine could see the train pulling into the depot. She turned to Glen, "come on...lets get ready for this...", they made sure they had the bushes for cover as they watched, Kristine could see the hangar bays opening and a large number of Visitor patrollers come out and had their weapons poised for action.

"Get a close up on those patrollers...", she pointed.

As the train came to a stop the doors slid aside and the patrollers got more than they bargained for. Instead of the usual routine of herding the prisoners off the train and onto the waiting shuttles to ferry them to the camp, they were taken by surprize by pulse fire.

A horde of weapon firing scientists burst out of the doors and attacked their would be captors. The Visitors of course fired back but they was outnumbered by the humans.

Kristine was wide eyed from behind the fense and ordered Glen to get a close up of the action.

Juliet was at the frame of the rear doors and called back through the train, "get him outside now!"

Mike and Jimmy manhandled the struggling Visitor and practically dragged him down the steps to the stoney ground of the railroad.

Kristine squinted and turned to Glen sharply, "give me those binoculars for a sec"

She focused and saw Mike Donovan in full Visitor garb, "What is he doing?", she cried in shock.

Juliet could see where Mike said the Kristine would be. She saw the sun bounce of the camera in the bushes.

She turned to Mike and shouted, "Now!"

Mike grabbed the captured Visitors face and ripped it off in one swift action, the disguise came off like melted cheese and Jimmy, who had never action seen the aliens realselves in the flesh, gasped out, but kept his cool and the Visitor went to his knees on the stones.

The sound of pulse fire was all around them as the humans picked off the last of the Visitor patrol.

The Visitor captive had bowed it's head, so Mike grabbed it's hair and forced it up to face the fense.

Kristine was opened mouthed. Glen was filming but was looking up to her looking completely gobsmacked.

"Just...just get this Glen...", she whispered, almost unaudiable.

Glen focused the camera onto the true face of the alien. It was green with yellow piecing eyes. The nose was fat and it's mouth was large and seemed to show off razor sharp teeth.

Scientist prisoners were only now taking notice and gasped out in terror.

"This is what they ARE!", cried Julie to anyone that would listen, "THIS WHAT THET ARE!"

Kristine swallowed down as Glen was telling her what she was saying. Mike had said something about the Visitors being reptilian and tongues that...

It can't be true...it just can't be...

"THEY'VE CAME TO EXPLOIT OUR PLANET! TO KILL US...TO KILL US ALL!"

Juliet was clinging hold of the rail because she was up and above those on the ground. Caleb was behind her, "We are gonna have to get out of here...back up is probably on the way...", he warned her.

Mike turned back to her, "he's right...we better get away while we still can"

Juliet nodded and Caleb and Jenny who came running over helped her off the train. Mike turned and saw Jimmy cold bloodiedly fire his pulse weapon right into the captured Visitors face. The thing was smoking and hit the live rail and burned up in a frenzy.

Mike shoved Jimmy forward and they led the way to a hole in the fense that was their escape-route, the scientists all followed.

Kristine was in the van with Glen, she turned to him, "It can't be true...can it?"

Glen shrugged, "You saw it like I did...you can't fake something like that...can you?"

Kristine pointed out ahead, "we better get out of here now...I don't want them knowing we were here"

Glen put his foot down onto the gas and the van screached off up the road.

VVV

The city was evaded with the sound of police sirens. Everybody on the streets assumed there had been another terrorist attack made by the conspiracy of scientists.

Glen's knuckles on the steering wheel were white as he gripped it hard. He kept muttering on about the dreadful sight he had witnessed at the depot.

Kristine tried to keep a level head. She had to let the sensible side of her take control. As an investigatortive journalist, her instinct was to put the footage on the TV screen ASAP, but she had to through caution on it and think about the consequencies of such a decision.

The Visitors wouldn't be happy with her, Diana wouldn't be happy. They had trusted her with a task of being their official spokesperson, this action would go all out against that.

She turned from staring out of the van window and looked at Glen, "We cannot show this...we cannot get this out on TV"

Glen was outraged, "But you SAW what I saw! Those aliens are lying to us. They certainly don't look like us!"

"Don't you think I don't know that! But we are going to have to keep a tight lid on this Glen...I need to get answers first...Diana trusts me...I need to speak to her first"

Glen pulled up to a line of traffic, "I hope you know what you are doing..."

Kristine breathed out a nervous laugh, "So do I..."

VVV

Back at the underground, everybody was cheering over the success of the mission. There was a buzz that brought a smile to everybodys lips.

But there had been casualties and Juliet was doing her very best to work on one laser wound after another.

Jeff was called in and helped the best he could. Over a patient that laid on a rickerty steel trolley he looked up at her, "Do you think it'll get onto the TV?"

Juliet nodded, "Donovan says it will...Kristine Walsh can't be that stupid enough to hide something like this from the world..."

Jeff didn't want to pour cold water over it, but he said it anyway, "stupid is the word...she may be stupid to show it...the Visitors will be gunning for HER if she did get it on air, and whose to say it'll get out anyway? The Visitors control the airwaves remember...they'd be sure to vet the VT first, right?"

Juliet paused and looked at him then closed her eyes, could all of this be for nothing...everything before seemed so simple...get what the Visitors really look like on screen and the world would want to fight back at them. But it really wasn't that plain simple was it.

"I really haven't thought things through at all, have I? NOBODY says anything! They just look at ME and let ME run the show..."

Jeff could see the patient they were working on was going to be okay and placed a hand over hers, "Julie...it's fine...they just had hope, that's all...you bring them hope and that's all that matters...without hope there isn't going to be a fight back, right?"

Julie only nodded.

VVV

When Jeff had gone home and she had time to relax on her bunk Mike came to her and sat at the footend of the bunk, "So...doc...the partys abit flat out there...you not gonna join in?"

Juliet looked at him, "I don't feel like celebrating...yes we didn't lose anyone of us...and all those scientists got away..."

"For now! They'll all have to go into hiding...and that's if they find somewhere! Most of'em will get rounded up..."

Mike sighed, "Oh come on doc, what's with all the selfpity here...you've done a great job...there was me thinking it'll be YOU who would get caught out but you pulled it off in the end"

She sat up and pulled her hair back and intook a deep breath, "Jeff says that he thinks the footage won't make it to the TV screens..."

Mike nodded, "He's right...it won't"

Juliet met his eyes sharply, "then why the hell did YOU allow me to pull this crazy scheme off...why didn't you tell me that you didn't think it'll get out there"

"Because hope is everything doc...without hope there is no fight"

"That's what Jeff said"

"He's right...and you've gotta continue to juice them up out there...even if things don't go to plan"

Juliet nodded gently staring towards the peeling plaster of the wall, "So what do you think Kristine will do with the film?"

Mike swallowed down deeply...he didn't answer her...because he didn't know himself...

VVV

Aboard the Mother-ship, Diana viewed the VT on a small screen built flat to the wall, her arms were folded across her chest. Kristine sat on the bunk crosslegged. She was nervous because Diana had been so quiet watching the footage.

Once it was over, Diana turned her head and met Kristine's eyes and held them for a few moments...then, she broke into a smile, "I am very pleased with you Kristine...you were very right to bring this to me..."

"Oh?"

"Yes..", she came forward and sat opposite her and smiled again, "you have shown your loyality to us and that means everything to us...we know we can trust you Kristine..."

Diana reached out and took hold of Kristine's hand and massaged it gently with her icecold fingers, "...that is why you deserve the truth my dear"

Kristine swallowed and Diana continued, "...we are not like you physically as you have seen...but there are reasons why we have...chosen not to tell you..."

Kristine shifted in the seat, "what reasons?"

Diana's eyes were dark. They held hers again and she felt like she was under her spell, "...your star is much much stronger than we bargained for...our native skin is not good with the ultra violet radiation it produces...so our scientists came up with these protective suits...and of course...it became much clearer to us that you humans would accept us the more easier, if we looked like you...wouldn't you agree?"

Kristine would if she was honest. If it had been a choice to see a reptile or a humanoid that everyfirst night step out of the shuttle, she would have been more relaxed with a humanoid. She nodded and smiled.

"...good Kristine...but it is something we are not comfortable to share that this very moment in time...",she stood and rounded to Kristine's side and placed a hand over her shoulder, "...I trust you can keep this exclusive information I have entrusted to you to yourself for the time being..."

Kristine looked up and met Diana's eyes, they were willing her...she didn't always feel in control, ..."yes Diana" she said without thinking, "of course I will"

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	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Thanks for the reviews and comments...opinions are always very helpful and can help strengthen the story.

I have had a bereavment in the family so I haven't be up to much story telling. This chapter I wrote back in December. I hope to continue proper in the next couple of weeks.

Thank you for those who take time to read my story, and I know it can be frustrating when you get half way through and then there is nothing more, but I do intend to finish this story.

CHAPTER TWELVE

"Why not?! We need to make sure that THEY know we aren't putting up with their shit anymore!"

Jimmy was waving his hands in the air as he chased the limping Juliet up the dark dingy corridor of the underground base. She turned on her heel and tried to remain calm, but with him in her earhole more times now that were tolerant to the calmest individual, she was starting to struggle.

"No...blowing things up is getting us nowhere! All what it does by experience is making them MORE determined to crush us...and if I have to remind YOU there are MORE of them than there is of us!"

Jimmy shook his head, "Oh right...so Dave's death was for nothing then, and so was Richard's and Raj's and Brad's and..."

"Stop it!", cried Julie, she was really at the end of her teather now, "I KNOW WHAT THEY DID AND WHAT THEY RISKED IN FOR US!", she lowered her voice as she continued, "...but making THEM more determined to crush us is not swhat we bargained for...please...I know it's hard, but we have to play the long game before we can beat this thing..."

Jimmy glared at her and then spat, "and what is I can't accept that?"

Juliet swallowed down and remained calm, "then there is no place for you here...we are not ONLY fighters here...we are a sanctuary too, for those who cannot fight, but are at risk of being taken because of what they are or do..."

Jimmy shook his head again and laughed, "You know what? Screw you" and he stormed off.

Juliet held her head in her hands in frustration as Ruby came over to her, "He needs to take a long look at himself Juliet...only he knows if he can play this your way..."

Juliet looked at her, "and what if he does something stupid...and goes it alone? What then...what if they capture him and torture him...will he sell us out just because he cannot get his own way?"

Ruby looked at her but didn't answer...sometimes there was no answers because the future was always uncertain.

VVV

That saturday, the time had come for what Jeff Moran had been dreading. The wedding of his daughter Terri to Daniel Bernstein.

The sun was shining brightly as they came out of the church to a chorus of bells. The colourful cefetti was thrown up in the air and floated down and around the happy couple - and they did look happy.

Terri was all smiles in white lace and Daniel was all grins and had worn a brand new suit that even his father couldn't afford.

On the churches front steps, Daniel and Terri posed for the photographer. Jeff and Louise stood to Terri's side and managed to muster up smiles. Jeff thought the same as Stanley and Lynn as well from where they stood on Daniel's side.

There was a great number of guests. Just about everybody in their youth corps team was present as well as three Visitors. One was of course Brian who acted as Daniel's best man. The other was the local supervisor Steven and the local Visitor medic Russell that Jeff already knew from the healing center.

From the church they all headed back to the evening venue. It was lavish and Jeff knew that Daniel had paid for it all. Stanley looked quite glum and reserved as he sat at a table and drank quietly and nodded and smiled politely to passing guests who stopped and said hello.

Louise picked up a glass of champers as the waitress came breezing by and turned to Jeff in her flowery evening dress, "Well...this is quite a turn out"

Jeff nodded, "yes...and I haven't paid for a thing"

Louise frowned at him, "You'll lucky - all this would of broke the bank for sure!"

Jeff pressed on with his polite smiles and listened on in the marqee as Eleanor Dupre, a silk caftan floating about her, wittered along on Steven's arm, "Ohhhh this is superb don't you think so? It must be an absolute honor for you to be here for Daniel...the boy has turned out quite well considering his...lactful upbringing"

Steven smiled at her as they breezed on into the warm night. Jeff sipped his drink and smiled to himself, Eleanor Dupre on the arm of a sippery snake.

Terri was then at his side and gave him a hug, "I'm so glad you are happy for me...you ARE happy for me, aren't you daddy?"

Jeff looked at her and smiled, "Of course I am..."

Louise came forward, "He has talked about nothing else", she said glancing at Jeff and then looking into the maquee, "...and that Visitor best man for Daniel is quite the ladies man I see..."

Terri turned and saw the blond Visitor Brian step out into the night air with a scantily clad young pretty girl on both arms, he smiled at both of the girls with a sly creepy smile and lustful eyes.

Terri laughed, "He thinks he is...but he's also the boss!"

As the evening wore on, the reception was in full swing. Guests ate food from the buffet, sipped fine champagne from crystal glasses whilst seated at beautifully decorated tables.

Jeff left Louise talking to a few others and stepped out into the cooler night air. The sound of crickets churped as he lit up a cigarette.

He drew a drag on the cigarette and got the feeling of being watched so he swung around to see a shadow approach from the fine mists that had rolled in from the nearby pacific.

"Russell! Jeez, you gave me a scare there creeping up on me like that"

Russell was apologetic, "I am sorry to startle you, that wasn't my intention"

Jeff offered him his packet of cigarettes, but the Visitor medic refused with a wave of the hand, "No...we are better informed than you of what that stuff does to you"

Jeff pocketed the pack and looked up, "So...enjoying the party?"

Russell cleared his throat and kept the tone of his voice low, "I wanted to see you...I have heard that you are wise to our concerns..."

Jeff was quick to act, "I'm not wise to anything pal"

The Visitor shook his head, "No, no...I mean that I SHARE your concerns...lets just say that more is going on at the healing center than just curing the ill and needed"

Jeff was still cautious but pressed him, "What else is going on?"

Russell sat at an iron bench and Jeff joined him, the mists floated around them and the wedding reception music was muffled in the background.

"I was led to believe that our Great Leader's mission was a peaceful one...to share your abundant supply of water...and take a share in some of your cattle..."

Russell looked up puffing on his cigarette, "we WOULD of co-operated you know...we wouldn't mind sharing what your people have so little of"

Russell nodded agreeing with him, "yes, I know...but our GREAT LEADER is a greedy tyrant...she wants it ALL...", he seemed to caste a faraway look, "...I shouldn't be so surprized, she has done this before many times"

Jeff was about to ask more when another shadow came out of the mists...this time it was the local supervisor Steven.

Russell jumped up from the bench in respect, "Sir"

Steven smiled in the moonlight that was hazy in the mists, "I think it's time to go, don't you Russell, you have said more than enough...", he looked at Jeff with dark sharp eyes, "...and for your daughters sake Dr Moran, I think you should come quietly..."

It was then that several armed Visitor patrollers came out from the darkness.

Jeff swallowed down nervously and stood from the bench.

VVV

Jeff Moran was prisoner and badly beaten inside the shuttle by Visitors using high-energy charged batons that was painful at every blow. Russell had been taken elsewhere.

Once up board the mothership, Jeff was dragged across the huge hangar that was akin to a naval aircraft carrier. There was rows upon rows of gleaming white transporter shuttles as well as rows of smaller fighter craft and a bay that was especially designed for the huge tanker crafts that were coming up from the retooled chemical plants with the so called life saving chemical compound the Visitors so urgently needed.

Wofts of super cooled gases from detached hoses came into his direction as he was forced to a dim-lit corridor...a voice over a tanoil announced another shuttle was arriving.

From the maze of corridors, a door slid aside and he was hurtled into a holding cell, the door slid shut behind him.

The cell was dark lit and tiny. He leaned back onto the tiled wall and slid down to his hunches. He was wondering what was going to happen to him...and what had became of Russell.

VVV

Russell stood in front of Steven and Diana in the conference room.

"You are a traitor to our mission - you are forged in with the humans pathetic feelings of care and share!", told Steven angrily with his hands behind his back.

Diana looked at Russell with dark eyes that showed no emotion, "You are a disgrace to our Leaders mission - you will be severely punished"

Steven approached a side unit and pressed a button and spoke into a wall grill, "You are a traitor - and traitors are dealt with by execution...I will organise..."

Diana interrupted him and spoke over him, "that won't be necessary Steven...but I would like a discrete word...", her eyes met his for a few moments.

The moment was broken by the door sliding back and two guards came in, Diana turned to them and pointed to Russell, "Escort this medic to the holding cell and keep him there until I decide what will be his fate"

The guards took each arm and led Russell out the door slid shut behind them.

Steven glanced at Diana, "What is all this about, Diana?"

Diana stood and then circled him whilst she spoke, he fingers came to rest on the conference table, "I believe that Russell knows the identities of the traitors aboard this ship"

Steven looked rocked, "Traitors? Here? Are you sure?"

Diana trod carefully, "I have been informed shall we say, that there are a growing number of our people that have joined the alliance that stands against our LEADER...the Admiral is aware...and now, so are you", her eyes rested on his.

Steven raised his eyebrows, "and who are these...traitors?"

Diana sat at the conference table and put her hands together, "I don't know...but I believe Russell knows who exactly who they are...and believe me Steven, I will be looking forward to personally extracting that information from him...in any way, necessary..."

And she finished with a growing smile as she stared at him.

VVV


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

Jenny was sick. She had being sick for a while but hadn't said anything. But today she had woken up with cramps and diarrhoea. She clutched her stomach and went to the disgusting excuse for a toilet they had in the bunker.

She pulled on the light-cord and sat on the pan. And she let loose her relief in a firey explosion. There was a knock on the tin door.

"Hey...you okay in there?"

It was Elias.

Jenny shook her head, "Yeah I'm fine...just...I'll be out in a while"

"Ohh, okay"

Jenny stood up and looked to the toilet pan and she shrieked.

VVV

Juliet was in the kitchen sitting up at the counter when Mike came in. She searched his face and then reading it right, she sighed, "Well...you were right and I was wrong..."

"There was no way Kristine would jeopredise her position with them doc...Yea, she was always on the lookout for a hot story in the past, before they came, but things are different now"

Juliet shrugged and reached for her cane, "Orrr, she realised how much she stands for losing if she was found out helping us...that footage hasn't made it to screen Donovan...all that planning...such a waste...but it just shows how far in control they really are"

Donovan shook his head watching her, "Yeah...a big waste of time...and you...risking everything...for nothing"

Juliet didn't met his gaze but she managed to grow a smile, "No...it wasn't ALL for nothing...I got to see Denny again...lay down a few ghosts...we all know where we stand now"

Donovan stepped forward and reached out his hand to her hand, "there will be other chances doc...we always knew this all wasn't gonna be easy...and there was a time that I didn't believe in all this commrady bullshit...I liked working on my own...but that's no better than working together is it...at least together i've learned you are NOT on your own"

Juliet then met his eyes for a brief second before there was a scream. Juliet, eyes full of concern, limped up the dingy dank corridor towards the toilet. A few had met them there and gathered outside the tin door.

"Jesus what is that stink!", cried a woman pinching her nose.

Juliet went up to the tin bathroom door and tried it, "Whose in there?"

Elias came out from the gathered few, "Jenny...she's been locked in there for 20 minutes man"

Julie knocked the door, "Jenny? Are you okay? Jenny..."

She turned to Sancho and Caleb to her side, "Can you get this door open please..."

Caleb stepped forward and called out, "Jenny honey...you better step well back.." and he shoved in the tin door...

VVV

Louise Lawson was a worried woman. Jeff had been missing for two days - ever since his daughters wedding.

She drove her car towards the Visitors-friends campus for the L.A area recruits. She parked her car in the lot and stepped out into the warm californian sunshine. The campus used to be a high school in BTC. BTC was a term the resistance used. She had picked that up off Jeff, it meant - before THEY came.

She crossed the neat lawn as a shuttle glided by overhead and climbed up the main steps that went into the facilities cool foyer. A girl dressed in the brown Visitor-friends overalls looked up from behind the desk as she entered.

"Can I help you?"

Louise removed her sunshades and nodded politely, "yes - I would like you to contact Terri Bernstein for me..."

A few minutes later Louise waited outside on the steps as Terri came running over from a Visitor transporter vessel.

"Louise! This is a surprize, is everything okay?"

Louise shook her head and watched as a group of Visitor patrollers and Youth corps passed them by.

"Not really...I don't know what to do...I didn't want to stop by and worry you, but it's your dad...he's missing...I haven't seen him since the wedding"

Terri walked with her across the lawn, "missing? I sure he's not missing...have you guys had a row or something? He used to be like this with Mom...he's probably just stopping by at colleagues appartment or a room at the hospital"

Louise nodded as they looped back to the front steps to the campus, "No...we haven't rowed...and he would tell me if he was gonna stay out elsewhere...", she lowered her voice, not really believing what she was actually going to suggest, "...Terri, I think he's been taken...", she whispered, realising how controversal such a idea was in todays climate.

Terri narrowed her eyes at her, "Louise - I hope you are not suggesting what I think you are..."

Louise realised she had stepped over the mark. She swallowed down and was about to put things right when Daniel Bernstein was then at their side on the steps.

"Hey...", he smirked in the way you just wanted to slap him, "...what's going on?"

Louise managed to force on a smile and shrugged at him, "nothing...why should there be something going on...I just stopped by", she smiled again at Terri, who herself managed a forced on smile.

"Yes...SHE was just leaving", she then said standing beside her husband. Louise glanced at her, then putting her shades back on turned and hurried across the lawn over to her car at the lot.

Terri watched her go, then looked up to her husband, "Danny...do you know what happened to my father?"

Daniel was still smirking but gave her a dismissive shrug as he watched Louise reverse the car out of the parking bay and drive off, "No...should I have?"

Terri bit her lips as he kissed her on the forehead and heading towards the transporter vessel.

VVV

Jenny was laid back on a steel trolley in Julie's makeshift medical bay. Juliet had given her a full examination and placed a hand upon the woman's forehead.

"You are pregnant aren't you?"

Jenny was so ashamed. She knew this to be for a long, long time and had hidden it...or just placed it out of her mind and denied the thing existed.

She met Juliet's eyes, "Please...I can't even think about what it..."

Juliet went and pulled the certain across further, the two were completely alone, "Jenny...you should have said something...all this time you were pregnant and you never said a word to anyone"

There was tears in Jenny's eyes, "I am so ashamed...of myself...how I could get into this position...the hate I feel...what I try to hide"

Juliet was beginning to understand and took her hand into hers, "Ohh Jenny...you really haven't anything to be ashamed of sweetheart..."

A tear rolled down her cheek, "He was...I thought...it was SO GOOD to feel like that somebody was interested in me...I felt warm and I felt safe...no man ever did that for me...all they want is sex...one thing, and then just dump you aside like you are a used beer bottle"

"but you haven't anything to be ashamed of, you..."

Jenny shook her head and stared at Juliet, "BUT I HAVE! You...and everybody...thought I was going along with this plan for the raid on the train terminal for us, the underground...but when you suggested that I search out Nick and use him...I was thinking the VERY SAME THING! Ohhh I wanted to use him like HE used me!"

Juliet swallowed down the lump in her throat and pulled herself together, "it doesn't matter...what's done is done"

"But it's not for you...I secretly celebrate victory...because HE is dead...and he won't use anybody again...but it's wrong, it wasn't what the raid was all about...I am selfish as well"

"You could never be that"

Juliet stood and looked at her in more of a professional stance, "Honey...It looks like that something is very wrong...you told me that it was over sevens months ago when you and Nick had intercourse...and that nothing seemed to shape out but a swelling and now your sickness"

Jenny's heart raced, "It's not normal is it?"

Juliet tried to be honest with her, "I haven't much experience with pregnancies...human ones at that...but there was a young girl who used to be here just before you joined us...she and intercourse with a Visitor and it resulted in her getting pregnant"

Jenny wanted answers, "What? No one has ever said anything!"

"That's because only a few people know...it was better that way...she was so traumatised of what she gave birth to she nearly had a breakdown...the thing was..."

Even Julie turned pale at the thought of it, "...it was alive...and it was..."Jenny looked petrified. Julie quickly tried to reasure her and grasped her hands, "Robin is okay...she is fine and living with her father and sisters upstate in a safe place..."

"...and the thing?"

Juliet didn't answer because Ruby came in with a tray of two hot teas, "I thought you two would like some tea...is everything alright?"

She looked questioningly at both of them. Julie could see that Jenny didn't want anybody to know, so she broke into a smile, "why thank you Ruby...just what the doctor ordered"

VVV


	14. Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

Louise Lawson had waited until dusk before she decided to go to the resistance for help. Jeff had told her its location a while back, and while she wasn't really interested in what it stood for before, her mind was now in a different light.

She kept to the shadows and was constantly on edge as she made her way to the old sewage works. It was way past curfew and she felt a sense of guilt for even being out at this time. She had always been a law abiding citizen.

A siren wailed in the distance and a Visitor shuttle craft glided over head as she had her back up against an alleyway wall before she dodged the over flowing dumpsters towards the cracked wall with colourful graffiti tagged the length of it.

Her heart was racing as she cleared its length and then ducked under the wire fensing and slide bum side down the slope into the valley of the long abandoned water waste plant.

VVV

Jenny had heard the commotion in the main conference room of the base. Most of the underground was gathering into the room. She could see the attention was focused on Louise in the middle of a story. Juliet was clutching her hand.

"...and that's when I never saw him. He's vanished Julie...he just wouldn't go away without saying something to me or his daughter...I think he's been taken and I don't know what to do..."

A guy in a grey jumper and beard growth turned, "If he's been taken, then WE need start worrying...he knows all about us"

Juliet raised up her hand as mumours from the others piped up, "lets all just calm down for a minute...", she turned back to Louise, "...given his daughter is one of them... I assume that they hurt him, given that the case"

Louise shook her head and wiped away a tear on her cheek, "I hope so...but it has been three days already..."

Jenny turned and headed back down the gloom to the medical dorm.

VVV

Juliet watched as the crowd disbanded and Ruby was making Louise a hot drink and was going to show her where she could sleep the night. Mike stepped forward and touched her arm, she met his gaze, "I'll see if I can talk to Martin...see if he knows what's happened to him"

Julie screwed her face up, "WHY would they take him? It just doesn't make any sense...if they had been watching him then the Visitors would be crawling all over is by now"

Mike shrugged, "god knows WHY they act the way they do...but Jeff was our only contact at the hospital right?"

Juliet shook her head, "Yes...he's a DOCTOR, a REAL Doctor...not like me...I NEED him Donovan...especially...", she thought of Jenny, then looked at him, "...our medical supplies...it's too risky to try find somebody else...we need him back, I NEED him back"

Mike shook his head and rubbed the top of her arms, "I'll contact Martin as soon as it gets light..."

VVV

Jenny's cramps were keeping her awake. Without Jeff, Juliet wasn't able to get her to the hospital for a scan as what was planned. She rolled off the bed and looked into the battered and cracked wall mirror. She had bloated out - this grotesque thing inside her was changing the shape of her body too quickly, infact it was more of a swelling than a proper pregnancy bump.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror and wanted to end it all. Ruby was then at her side, "honey...why are you up and about for? Juliet says you need rest"

Jenny looked at her, "SHE doesn't know what I need...nobody does!"

The old woman tried to calm her, "she is doing her best she can for you"

Jenny shook her head and met the kindly womans eyes that reminded her of her grandma,

"I'm scared Ruby...I'm scared of what's happening to me"

Ruby sat her back down on the bed and then sat beside her with an arm rubbing her back, "these are frightening times...but it must be so much harder for you with this going on..."

Jenny bit her lip then came out with a question she had wanted to ask but kept on holding back for fearing the answer, "this other girl...like me...what did she give birth to? The look on Julie's face when she was telling me...I SAW the horror in her eyes"

Ruby swallowed and patted the pillow, "get some rest dear...and we'll have a proper talk with Juliet in the morning"

VVV

Jeff was in a daze. He was conscious in a hazy kind of way. He could see what was going on around him, but he couldn't hear. Was he now deaf? Had they done something to him?

He guessed not, his instinct told him that they had injected him something that caused the abverse effects he was now experiencing.

Diana was looking down a him, he was lying on his back upon a clinical steel trolley of sorts. Diana was smiling at him, then she glanced up at one of her scientific team. She spoke, he could see her mouth move, but there was no audio because of his deafness.

Suddenly he jolted. A sharp pain all over. Like some electric current going through the bredth and depth of his entire body. All his mustles went into spasms.

Diana folded her arms and smiled at him, she looked like she was enjoying this. She spoke again and a device was strapped to his head like a vice, the screws dug sharply into his skull...the pain...he screamed out...

...and Diana, holding her gaze, grinned...

VVV

Mike waited on the corner as the morning rush hour was starting to taper. He had contacted Martin through his contact earlier that morning and Martin had sent a message back about meeting him here at 10am.

He stood beneath a cluster of pine trees in the shade and watched as the cars buses and trucks go and up and down the freeway and down into the underpass.

It was now he squinted upwards and saw a Visitor transporter shuttle glide over and touch down not too far away from the underpass. Mike reasured himself with patting his jacket pocket for the firearm he carried just in case.

Martin was waiting in the graffiti drawn pass adjacent to the freeway. The Visitor removed his shades as they came out of the sunlight.

"Mike...what is it..."

Mike stepped forward and spoke quickly, "I know you don't like taking risks...so I thank you for meeting me at such short notice..."

The Visitor male considered him with a questioning gaze, "then this is important?"

"Well yeah...look...one of us has been taken...it looks like..."

Martin cut him off, "NO Mike...I have already informed you that I will not start rescuing everybody you deem important at your end...when would it stop?"

Mike calmed him, "No...its not like that...Jeff is very important to us...to Julie...he is our medic...our doctor...our contact at the hospital for medical supplies we need...an assett we can't do without..."

Martin shook his head, "Okay...I can see your point Mike...but this is risky...he would have been taken for a reason, I know that we have no evidence that they know the whereabouts of your underground, so it can't be that...there must be something else...", he rubbed his chin in thought, "...possibly he is a catagory 4 candidate"

"Whatever he is...can you help him?"

Martin met the Mikes gaze and held it for a second then shook his head, "I'll see if Barbara can help him, she is more likely to be able to help then I at the moment"

The Visitor turned to leave, Mike stopped him by tagging at his arm, "Martin...thanks again"

The alien nodded and departed the underpass, Mike waited a few moments, then followed to report back to Juliet.

VVV

Jeff snapped his eyes open as his hearing came back and the unnerving shrill evaded his ears. The male Visitor scientist looked down at him and spoke, his voice was deep and verbated.

"This will be most unpleasent"

And the most excruciating pain in his lower abdomen made him jump but for the straps that clamped him down and kept him in place on the trolley.

He was nausious. He wanted to be sick. And he rolled his head and vomit poured from his mouth that was congealed with blood clots and green slime.

The door glided aside and somebody else entered. It was out of Jeff's eyeline but he could now hear HER voice.

Diana.

"...have you concluded with the initial phase?"

"Yes", replied the male Visitor scientist looking across to the unseen woman.

Diana crossed to Jeff's eye line and gazed down at him, holding his eyes, "till the next session Dr Moran...I will look forward to it"

She looked towards an armed patroller that had entered with her, "take him back to his quarters..."

VVV

Jeff was back in his cell. The confine seemed his only safe place on this huge mysterious ship. He was cold and naked and he still felt nausious. He sunk to his backside on the cold floor and pulled his knees to his chest and then slumped into the faetal postition.

Voices were in his head. The cold whispers of a hundred soles of those who had been through what he had been through.

They CAME in peace! It was a lie, he had known that before today...but today...he had a real sense of how unnatural and sadistic these tyrants were...

Please...let death be quick.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


	15. Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15

The Protest group marched the streets of LA. A gathering of people waving placards and signs saying 'THE VISITORS ARE NOT OUR FRIENDS' and 'DON'T TRUST THE ALIENS- THEY ARE MORE ALIEN THAN YOU THINK'

The Visitor patrollers and police stood on street corners with on-lookers, they were armed, but did nothing because it was a peaceful protest.

Juliet watched the tiny portable TV as Kristine Walsh voice-overed the images on screen.

"Today, like yesterday, the group who call themselves THE ANTI-VISITOR CAMPAIGN have marched the streets of Los Angeles causing chaos in their wake - not only has confusion occurred, but a fundlemental disruption of everyday fueling more atroscities by conspiratory scientists. Marches have be allowed to continue however, that just shows how understanding our Visitor friends are over members of our own race, who have trouble accepting the hand of friendship and are still suspicious of why they are really here..."

Juliet shook her head and spotted the leader of this new movement - Jimmy Roberts - she saw him on camera being interviewed.

"It is the right of a democracy to uterlise free-speech, and I am using that right to exercise that we as a race should be looking more into WHY these aliens are here - yes they SAY they are here to manufacture this chemical compound they need to save their dying world - but has anyone checked to see whether this really is the case! Where is the evidence, because I'm telling you, taking THEM at face value was our first mistake..."

Juliet switched the portable off and turned as Jenny came into the rest toom of the underground base and sat down up at the counter.

"So...did you get any sleep?"

Jenny shook her head, "No...this THING in me is moving...it feels like...like some slug is slithering it's way around my insides"

Juliet came foward and took her hand, "Honey - we are doing the best we can to get Jeff off of that ship - HE is the only one I can trust at the hospital"

Jenny met her look, and made a suggestion, "what if I just walk into the hospital like any other person - just a nobody who wants a scan"

Juliet shook her head and squeezed her hand, "that would be a big big mistake...they will KNOW that this isn't any normal pregnancy...they might want to dig further into your life, and that will undoubtedly lead them..."

"...here I know...", Jenny sighed and looked to the concrete floor, "...I just can't think about anything else...I just want to know if this thing is gonna...I don't know...YOU SAY I'll be okay, but will I? This other girl...the one like me...she had it right? What did it look like..."

Juliet cleared her throat and let a nervous laugh slip, "Oh'a - yeah...it was...it wasn't right...it was..."

"Just TELL me...pleasse"

"It was a hybrid! What else can I say...all hybrids can be different...if they are of two different species not one hybrid will be the same as the other"

Juliet grabbed her cane and approached the corridor before turning to look back at her, "the thing is...it will depend on how strong a side the hybrid will be...if it's human - normal like us...then there will be tell tell signs that it's not COMPLETELY like us...the eyes might be different or the nose or the ears..."

"I've got it..."

Juliet forced on a smile, "I'll talk to you later...there's just so much to do at the moment...and I am worried about this new movement that has sprung up...I think it's gonna cause us alot of damage..."

Jenny nodded and watched her go..and at the same time feeling that slippery sensation inside her womb...

VVV

A Visitor patroller stepped out of the arcade and walked down the street with a human teenager in tow, "So l would like to join up...I would love to know everything about your home planet"

The Visitor patroller's face was hidden beneath his helmet and visor but he nodded, "I am so glad you want to join the Youth scheme Jerry, we are friends and I like to have human friends..."

Jerry held out a hand to him, "to our friendship then..."

The Visitor raised his arm to shake the humans hand but all of a sudden a car came screaching around the corner, skidded up onto the curb and within a short space of a second, the Visitor was bundled into the back of the car.

Once the door was shut the car sped away. Jerry watched it go then a hand came over his shoulder, "good going kid...Jimmy's gonna be pleased with you"

"I just want to help...I've known Ross since the day they came here...he's young...Jimmy won't hurt him, will he...?"

"lets just say...he's gonna be a part of a show...to get everybodys fires going..."

VVV

At the TV studios in New York, Kristine Walsh stood off the podium that had the Visitor flag dominate the foreground. John, the Visitor leader of the 50 armada of Motherships took her outstretched hands and gave her a warm glowing smile, "Kristine...a pleasure as always..."

The newswoman tilted her head slighty, "thank you John"

John let her go forward and walked along side her. The studio cables snaking the floors about them, "I gather that your interview with the President all went well as you expected..?"

Kristine nodded and forced on a smile for the charming admiral. Yes, she did interview the President at the White House the day before, but America's, if not the worlds, most powerful man seemed different. She couldn't put her finger on it, but he seemed increditbly accommadating to Visitor requests over matters that he like-wised was strongly apposed to before.

She clutched her purse, "Yes...thank you for arranging it John...I got all what I needed"

John paused and met her eyes and placed his hands firmly upon her upper arms, they held her still like clamps, "good Kristine, I am SO glad to hear that...we really like to keep you happy...you are truely are a good friend to us Visitors, and know that WE can trust you with anything..."

His kind eyes bored into hers holding them, he knew...he knew what she knew about their faces...their hidden faces that she had seen...that Diana confided in her.

"Reptilian with tongues that..."

That's what she had said to Mike all those months ago when he too had seen their faces aboard the Mothership. Now she had.

Kristine thought about her mother...the Visitors had cured her...made her healthy again.

She nodded and breathed out a smile for the Visitor admiral, "You can trust me with anything, John...you can count on me"

His eyes never left hers, like he was trying to work her out, but he nodded as they reached the roof of the studio and a Visitor patrol was meeting them to board his personal transporter shuttle, "good..."

VVV

Up aboard the Mothership over LA, Jeff Moran had been tortured again. This time he had seen the rough end of a blow torch and had needles stuck into his eyes...hot needles where the pain was so great he had shate himself.

His eyes were fine, he hadn't been blinded or anything, but he knew that he was been used as a lab rat...although in a human lab the rat would have been treated a whole lot better.

He had lost all sense of time. Whether it had been hours or days or weeks he had been brought up to the Mothership there was no way of telling, but from the full growth of beard he was now sporting, he knew it was quite some time.

He rolled to his side. His nakedness didn't bother him anymore, it was becoming quite the norm to sit or lie about in the nude.

The door then slid back and a female Visitor entered. Jeff opened his eyes expecting to be dragged out of the confine and up onto the cold steel trolley like all of those other times.

But this Visitor wasn't a scientist. Or one that he knew. She was slim built with blond straw like hair that came to her elbows. She threw him a red Visitor uniform and a cap. Her voice was urgent.

"Quickly...I am getting you out"

Dazed, Jeff shook his head and the Visitor woman grabbed his arm and pulled him up, "I said quickly now...we haven't much time before they put you into the final area"

Jeff's limbs ached, but he managed to pull on the Visitor overalls and jacket, he buttoned up the flies and ties and gave her a questioning look...was this Terri's doing? Had she put in a good word for him?

"Why...why are you doing this?"

The Visitor spoke quickly, "All I know is...is that it is important that you are returned...to the resistance..."

Jeff gave her a sharp suspicious look, this could be a setup, "I don't know anything about a resistance...I'm just a doctor who..."

She gave a reassuring smile, "It's okay...we are on the same side...now quickly, you must get off this ship before they return for you..."

The door slid aside, Jeff pulled his cap on and looked at her, "I'm glad you are all not...not like..."

"Go...now...a friend of mine will meet you in the next corridor, he will direct you to hangar 12, bay 7...another friend will be waiting for you in cargo shuttle scheduled for Santa Monica plant...now go"

Jeff didn't need telling twice, he marched out of that cell and down the corridor of the vast metropolis that he walked inside. It was like the belly of a whale.

The corridors were dim and they all looked the same, Visitor personnel of all ranks, shape or form passed him by but ignored him.

He just hoped the path he took lead to his escort to the hangar bays...

VVV

Everybody in the clothes factory outlet was in the main sewing room. Some sat on crates, some on the floor, but Jimmy was in front of them urging them on.

"They call themselves the resistance...but THEY do nothing! We are ALL fed up with how these monsters have dropped themselves into every niche of our society and we let them! The resistance SAID they would put a stop to it...but it is ALL talk...they do NOTHING!"

Jimmy looked at each and everyone of his followers, "well...if THEY want to hide away underground and pretend that nothing is happening to our world, then let them...because it is up to us to stand against the Visitors and take them down"

"But how? The resistance said that..."

"ACTION! Actions speak louder than words...we make bombs...we blow things up...we arm ourselves and murder these creatures like the snakes they are...Juliet Parish and her rabble can hide away like scared rabbits if they like, with all their plan and strategies that come to nothing...The Anti Visitor campaign will be a force to be reckoned with..."

Everybody cheered as a curtain was pulled a side revealing a Visitor sitting in a chair, it's hands were tied to it's back.

Jimmy pressed forward and reached out a hand and took the male Visitor by the scuff of the hair and forced his head back, "lets show this one that we mean business...and we ALL can take note what we need to do"

And two others came in and dowsed the Visitor in gasoline.

Jimmy smiled and dug into his jeans pocket and pulled out his cigarette lighter. He stared at the Visitor tied to the chair, "BURN IN HELL!"

And he dropped the lighter into the Visitors lap and it exploded into roaring flames, the alien screaming unearthly tones that made everybody in the room shudder.

The thing was charred and still screamed out in sheer pain, Jimmy turned and looked at his followers, "They all must burn...they all must go to hell because my father would say that GOD never created such monstrosties as these creatures...the Visitors are an abomination that needs to be aborted..."

He looked at the charred smouldering reptilian like face, the thing tried to open it's eyes, "Does it hurt Ross? That's what you call yourself...Ross...", he grinned, "... Should I put you out..."

And he undid his jeans and pissed all over him.

VVV

A/N: Thanks to those who review comment.


	16. Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

Juliet Parrish watched as her band of resistors looked up at her for direction. All of them had seen on the news, that the anti-Visitor campaign were still protesting out on the streets, and that former resistor member Jimmy Roberts was leading it.

"Why aren't the Visitors doing anything to stop them?", asked Nigel who sat with two of his brothers at the back, "surely the Visitors wouldn't allow the bad publicity.."

Glen looked back at him from where he sat on a milk crate, "they sure don't...when I worked at the TV studios, everybody was vetted before an interview went out...the Visitor high hierarchy only want good press and showcase their...'good' intentions"

Juliet nodded, "yes that's right...if the Visitors went in all guns blazing, or herded them into their shuttles and fly them off to the camps, then it would bring them too much bad publicity, and will highlight more of the not so 'good' intentions they have"

"and they sure don't want that", pointed out Caleb.

Mike brushed a hand over his mouth and looked up, "look, maybe all this is a good thing..."

All faces looked at him questioning, so he continued...

"...well it takes the heat off us right? They will be too busy watching them than trying to find out where we are holed at...and besides, they may even think that we and them are the same group"

Ruby pulled a face, "I hope not...I didn't like his attidute when he was with us...he was quite the loose cannon..."

Everybody murmured and agreed.

Juliet stood and waved a hand out, "no listen...Donovan is right..."

"why, thank's doc..."

"No...I mean, they will take the heat off us...it will give us chance to really plan something...get organised and show the world what they are really here for"

"But we have tried...what about when we tried to show what was happening to the scientists and their families...you put yourself at risk and it all came to nothing", argued a red head male on Ruby's left.

Glen answered that, "that's because Kris Walsh took the tape and it was never broadcast...she is cleary on THEIR side through and through, I can tell you..." and he threw a glance towards Mike.

Juliet watched for his reaction but they were all interrupted by Elias coming into the room with his gang of Angels, "Hey man! I've got some news from up the coast, I have"

And the young black man took Juliet to one side.

VVV

Louise Lawson stood on the belcony of her beach front appartment, and stared out across to the calm pacific ahead of her. Gulls screached in the blue sky as she nursed her coffee mug.

The door buzzer went and she went in and crossed the living room to the speaker phone on the wall, "Hello...who is it?"

"It's Terri..."

Louise buzzed her in. She put the door on the latch and waited in the living room for Terri to enter.

Terri came inside and closed the door, she came forward in her brown overalls of the Visitor youth scheme and asked, "Louise...I was wondering if you've heard from daddy"

Louise turned and shook her head at her, "no...it's been over a week now Terri...I did tell you and you didn't seem bothered...I hope you are bothered now"

Terri shrugged, "I still THINK that you two must of had a row...why else would he just run away"

Louise gritted her teeth, "he DIDN'T just run away"

"Well what other reason can there be? And don't say he was 'taken' because I am so fed up of hearing those ridiculous stories"

Louise sat down and looked up at her, "We didn't row...I promise you that...I didn't believe the stories at first...your father used to say, Dr so and so has disappeared from the hospital, and I just dismissed it, thinking they were running away because they were appart of the conspiracy"

Terri saw red, "MY DAD ISN'T A CONSPIRATOR!"

Louise retaliated, "I didn't say he was! But...look...why don't YOU find out...ask around...you have access to places don't you? Have a snoop around"

Terri shook her head and approached the door, "just shut up with your stupid suggestions! Maybe it's good daddy is away from you..."

She then went and slammed the door behind her.

VVV

Juliet sat in the back of the van as it pulled up onto the road that Louise's appartment was situated. Elias called back as he hit the breaks.

"Looks like Lou's got company Julie..."

Juliet came forward and looked out ahead through the windshield and saw Jeff's daughter exit the building and pointed back to the building to a couple of passing Visitor patrollers.

"that don't look good", remarked Elias.

Juliet shook her head, "no it doesn't...but Louise has nothing to hide, not really..."

Another came forward...it was Jeff and he was wide eyed at what was going on, "they are gonna arrest her! My daughter must think she was party to my disappearing..."

"Jeff... Jeff wait!"

Juliet could only watch helpless as Jeff exited the back of the transit and hurried up the road calling after Terri.

Both resistors watched on as Jeff and Terri hugged in the street and were pointing back towards the appartment in the morning sunshine.

Elias looked back to Julie when one of the Visitor patrollers looked in their direction clutching his pulse rifle.

"We better get outta here!"

Juliet agreed and Elias put the van into hard reverse, swung around in the process and speed off into the traffic in the next street.

VVV

In the appartment Jeff pulled out from an embrace with Louise as Terri came in, she hugged him again, "Ohhh daddy...you scared me...where the hell have you been"

Jeff looked everything the bum in his vagrant looking garb, "I've just been away...I just...well, there was a sick friend and they asked me for help"

Terri frowned, "But they could have just gone to the hospital surely? Or the Visitor healing clinic"

Louise's mind was working overtime and broke in with a tall story, "It was a friend of mine actually...and the reason WHY they didn't attend an everyday clinic is because...is because they are a scientist and they are scared to death of being out in the open...you know?"

Terri looked pretty much annoyed with her, "and YOU put daddy at risk by helping one of them!"

Louise snapped back at her, "my friend is NO conspirator! A scientist yes...but why should he be pursacuted because of the vocation he took"

Jeff backed her up, "I wanted to help...I know it's frowned upon helping scientists Terri, but Lou is right, not every scientist is a conspirator you know"

Terri backed away and headed to the door, "I know...but well...we live in a world where we don't need scientists or doctors no more...the Visitors are doing that for us and have shown us great things...so yeah help them out...and tell them to get another job, because in my book a scientist is pretty much redundant"

"and a doctor?", Jeff pressed her before she could leave.

Terri looked at him and left without saying another word. Louise immediatley locked the door after her and hurried back to Jeff's arms.

"Jeff! I can't believe you are here! Where have you been...they took you didn't they...did they get you off the ship? Because Donovan said he had friends up there who could get you off"

He lifted his hand and stroked her hair, as she laid her head in his chest, "they helped me yes...I don't even know their names...maybe it's better that way..."

She lifted her head and looked up to met his gaze, "Or they are thinking about themselves...their cause comes before you surely? Donovan spoke about it...saying they have formed an alliance against their leader..."

Jeff shrugged, "What does it matter to us? Anyway, it is best for us to get away from here"

Louise swallowed and hugged into him again, the thought of never seeing him again was never too far from her mind. Jeff flinched and she could see by the expression on his face that he was in much discomfort.

She withdrew from the embrace with a growing concern that he was hiding something from her, "what is it?"

Jeff shook his head, he wanted to spare Louise the thoughts of the cruel nightmare world of the Visitor laboratory, "nothing, I'm just a little on edge, that's all"

He then approached the bedroom and turned, "they will soon be out looking for me...we better pack all we need, and get to the underground"

Louise gazed about the appartment hugged her folded arms into her chest, "What? Leave all of this?"

Jeff decided to be forceful, "YES...We need to get out of here...believe me...YOU don't want to end up - UP THERE...", and he looked up to the ceiling.

Louise shook her head and followed him into the bedroom to pack afew things.

VVV

Terri Bernstein jumped into the pool and cooled off from the hot sun. Daniel was watching her from where he lounged about on a sunbed.

She swam about a bit and then looked across to him, and removed her bikini top and goaded him, "You not want to come in and cool off...?"

Daniel grinned at her and sat up, "By the look of you baby, I certainly need cooling off, I'm telling you!"

She smiled, "then come in and get them"

He grinned wider and stood up and went to jump in, when a Visitor transporter shuttle came flying overhead and start to lower behind the house.

Daniel watched it disappear beyond the roof and turned to her, "Looks like we've got company"

Terri swallowed down and heaved herself up onto the tiles to dry off in the heat, "Yeah...we have...I wonder what this is going to be about?"

But of course, Terri knew.

XCXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


	17. Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17

SECOND CHAPTER THIS WEEK :)

Lynn Bernstein came from the house and stopped at doorway of the french doors, "Daniel..."

Daniel was pulling on his Visitor friends uniform and looked at her, "well go and let them in you silly cow..."

Lynn remained where she stood and toyed with the chain of her glasses, "they already have Daniel...they are searching the house..."

He shoved her to side and entered the house and saw three or four armed Visitor patrollers and 3 or so LAPD cops go from room to room of the Bernstein house.

Open-mouthed Daniel cleared his throat when the black Visitor captain approached him, "Hello Daniel..."

The teenager gave a nervous grin, "What's all this about, sir?"

The Captain held up a datapad that portrayed the face of Dr Jeff Moran on it's flatscreen, "We are searching for this escaped prisoner...", and the black Visitor's eyes were carefully watching for his reaction, "...you do KNOW who this is Daniel?"

Terri who had a towel wrapped around her and lank damp hair came forward from behind him, "He's my father, Captain...my father"

Daniel looked around to her and shook his head, "What's all this about Terr...?"

A Visitor patroller came forward from the adjoining room and reported to his superior officer, "he is not in the house sir"

The Captain nodded and met both Terri and Daniel's gazes, "I think we should take this down to the police station, don't you agree?"

Terri nodded and went into the bedroom to get dressed, Daniel watched the door close and swallowed down feeling very embarrassed.

VVV

Jeff Moran and Louise were welcomed at the underground. Juliet came forward and gave him a hug and squeezed Louise's hand, "I am so glad you are okay..."

Jeff sighed, "I guess I am not gonna be much help at the hospital now...I mean...where are we gonna get our medical supplies from now?"

Juliet shrugged, "We'll worry about that later...we'll get together with a few names of people we know, and see if we can trust any of them...but in the mean time...I need your help"

As Ruby and a few others got Louise settled, Juliet led Jeff into the dank corridor and told him about Jenny.

"...and that's when she told me about the pregnancy..."

Jeff scratched his head, "I can't believe that there is a conception like this...it seems impossible, but obviously not if you've seen it before"

Juliet nodded, "yes, Dr Maxwells daughter...she gave birth to one a few months ago...poor girl had a real breakdown...she even escaped from here and tried to jumped off a bridge at the intersection..."

"something like that must have pushed her over the edge", Jeff reasoned.

Julie leaned on her cane, looking tearful "it was when she threw the new born into a hot scolding bath when we realised that she needed professional help...help that we couldn't give her"

"What about her parents?"

Juliet led the way again towards the kitchen, "Dr Maxwell did all he could...her mother died in the raid at the mountain camp..."

"and the...thing...this baby?"

Juliet reached the kitchen and swung around, "it's dead...when the Maxwells moved upstate to a safe place deep in the red woods up there, she left the baby out in the open...overnight...it was well below freezing that night and when Robert found it..."

Jeff turned and saw Jenny in the doorway...she looked back at Juliet, the girl had heard everything...

VVV

At the police station interrigation room, Terri sat opposite the Visitor Captain as he asked her direct question, "He is your father...you MUST know where he is...HE would have contacted you"

Terri shook her head at him, "No, No, No...I haven't seen him...really I haven't...I..."

She swallowed and brushed away a tear and looked down to the desk. The Visitor's eyes watched her carefully, then he sat back and smiled, "Yes, I can see all this is very hard for you...you see, I am a father and I am sure if I was on the run, my daughter would want to protect me too..."

Terri's head lifted and met his eyes, "I don't know where he is...", she whispered.

"Is that so..."

VVV

Jenny was sobbing in her dorm at the underground. Juliet came to the doorway and tilted her head, "I'm so sorry you had to overhear all of that"

Jenny lifted her head from the pillow and looked back at her, "I'm not. Now I KNOW that i'm carrying somekind of monster that even a mother's love is not enough"

Juliet stepped in, "Honey...you are different...you are not a teenager who has barely lived life...you are a young woman and more gutsy than she was"

"But the end results gonna be the SAME! It's STILL gonna be a monster like it's father!"

Juliet sat on the bed and rubbed Jenny's shoulder, "Jenny...myself and Jeff are gonna do all we can...there are no guarantees of how all this is gonna work out, but I CAN guarantee something...MY support...I think in a way I failed last time...", she met her eyes, "...but this time it will be different...I promise..."

VVV

At the police station, Daniel waited out in the corridor for news on Terri. He paced about and watched as LAPD cops and Visitor personnel whom worked along side the law enforcement, too and fro the corridor carrying out their duties.

Then he sat down on a plastic bucket seat with his head in his hands when someone approached him. Daniel sensed this and opened his eyes and stared at the black boots and then snapped his eyes up to see Brian standing there.

He jumped up from the seat, "Brian! Thank God! I can't believe this is happening!"

Brian was calm and removed his cap, "I heard...I came over as soon as I could...is it true they think you are harbouring an escaped prisoner?"

Daniel shook his head, "I don't know anything about an escaped prisoner...It's Terri's dad...why are they so hot to capture him?"

Brian cleared his throat and let him sit, he sat next to him and placed a hand over the boys shoulder, "Daniel...Dr Moran was detained last week after your union with Terri...he is suspected of conspiracy issues...making him very suspect"

Daniel frowned, he shook his head, "But...I know he is a doctor and everything...but HE wouldn't do that...his daughter...MY Terri is one of us!"

Brian held Daniel's gaze, like the human was trapped in the moment, "I am afraid that Terri maybe aparty to his escape Daniel...already, two patrollers have come forward and reported that she and him were seen at Dr Moran's appartment not long after he absconded...it is BETTER that she confesses to this...I can see the emotion turmoil of this matter is taking it's toll on you..."

Daniel was lost in his eyes, he swallowed and shook his head, "I didn't know...I don't know anything Brian, please...I'll do anything...it's ALL her...she's obviously been lying to me"

Brian hinted a smile as he kept his gaze, "yes...I can see that is so...", he lifted his hand and cupped the human's cheek still holding the human's dark eyes, Brian with that sinister smile, "But I will make sure that everything will be okay..."

"You are a true friend"

"Yes...I know"

VVV

Terri was alone in the police cell. She sat on the wood bench that was fixed to the wall and looked about her. She wondered what was going to happened to her. This was the first time she had ever been afraid of the Visitors. The Visitors; the saviours of mankind, giving them all the wonders you could ever dream of because we were helping them save their dying world.

But that was yesterday.

This was today.

The sound of keys. The key into the lock. Terri looked up.

Daniel was standing there and stepped inside, an LAPD officer was vocal, "five minutes"

And he stepped into the cell and the cop closed the door behind him. Daniel and Terri were alone. Terri stood and approached him, she flung her arms around his neck, "Dan! I'm so scared, what are they gonna do to me..."

Daniel gently removed her from him and looked at her questioningly, "I trusted you...I thought that we had a connection...that you and me wanted the same thing"

Terri shook her head, "but we do...WE DO!"

Daniel shook his head and blew out a laugh, "Naaah I don't think so...I mean...IF WE HAD A CONNECTION then you would have told ME about your father being at the appartment after his escape...IF WE HAD A CONNECTION, then you and ME would have gone right over there and captured him...together"

Terri could see that Daniel was so distant from her, "Daniel please listen...", she cupped his cheeks with the palms of her hands, "I love YOU...we are married...I am your WIFE!"

Daniel looked at her her and then casually removed her hands from his person, "Naaah...good try, I give you that...yes you are my wife...but I'm sure that I am smart enough to go get another..."

He swung on his heal and Terri grabbed him, "Dan?! What are you doing? WHY ARE YOU SAYING THIS FOR! I LOVE YOU!"

Daniel shook her off and grabbed her wrist very tightly, "I married you because I could have you...and believe me there is a line of them...you see, before...before they came...girls saw me as a jerk...even the neighbours girl didn't want me...but now...girls swoon at my feet because the power this uniform gives me"

Terri backed away, wiping away the tears, "You don't love me at all, do you? How many? How many have you..."

Daniel was smug, "I fucked your bridemaid three times...you know what I mean...she loved every minute of it...oh, yeah and there is the girl in the liquer store...she's a real goer her...hot little mouth that one Terri..."

Terri slumped to the bench and sobbed.

"Well, I must be going now...oh errrm...enjoy the camp"

Terri snapped her eyes up, "What...?"

He grinned, " It was my choice...at least you'll be in fine company...with the rest of the traitors..."

And with that he was gone.

VVV


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Mike Donovan and Elias Taylor were sitting in a car watching the cafe. People were too and throwing and going about their business as usual until Elias pointed, "there...there he is...come'on and lets go and let him know that..."

Mike grabbed his arm before the black man could leave the vehicle, "Hey bud...let me deal with this..."

Elias glared back at him, "and why does it have to be you, huh? WHO says that you are in charge of this operation man?...Julie sees me as her wing man, you know what I am sayin?"

Mike shook his head, "Look...I'm not gonna go disputed nothing...look, put it this way, if it looks like I'm gonna become a cropper, then you come and rescue me, how's that?"

Elias didn't know if Donovan was taking the piss or what, but he relented and watched the ex-newsman leave the car and dash across the street towards the cafe, Elias had eyes everywhere, Mike was the worlds most wanted man, and he was casually stepping foot into a busy cafe...he was READY for trouble.

VVV

Jimmy Roberts got him self an expresso from the counter-girl and sat down at a table near the sunlit window. Donovan came in and looked about the cafe until he spotted him. Jimmy looked up and shook his head.

"Well, well...look who it is"

Mike sat down, his voice urgent and hushed, "hey...come on! We are all meant to be on the same side, aren't we?"

Jimmy frowned at him, "Yeah so?"

"So this movement of yours is just god-damned crazy - how long do you think they are gonna be tolerating your marches, huh? How long before all of you are rounded up and herded off to the death camps, because that's what they are gonna do, believe me"

Jimmy laughed in his face, "Oh go and do one Donovan...at least we are getting the media coverage, showing them as well as the world that not everyone is so accepting of them mixing into our society"

Mike raised his eyebrowes, "what, and you think a few marches is gonna send them off packing do you?"

Jimmy leaned forward, "It's all about the front show...not what's going on 'behind' the scenes"

Mike looked up to see a couple of Visitor patrollers stroll by the window along the street, both armed with pulse rifles hanging loose from their shoulders. Jimmy laughed, "See...that's why YOU and the underground are never going to up to much...burying yourselves and plotting at nothing is not gonna rid our planet from these turkeys", he hissed.

Donovan brushed his beard stubble with his hand, "So what are you gonna do? Blow things up? Cause as much disruption as you all can? HEY WE'VE TRIED IT! It don't do any good at all...hit and run raids are useless, I've said it before, I'm saying it again"

"and cosying up in bed with collabrators like Kristine Walsh is? All that beloney about putting that damned train stunt on the TV...", Mike looked away, and Jimmy took advantage,

"...yeah...you know excactly what happened, Walsh took that tape back to them...I bet she's relishing all the glory from them...not realising she's helping to stick the final nail in all of our coffins"

Mike looked sharply at him, he wanted to be brash, but he dared not to, not wanting to bring too much attention to himself.

"so what's the big plan, huh? What are you gonna do to rid our planet of them?"

Jimmy downed his strong coffee and stood up, "you'll see...and when you all do...you'll be wishing that you were on MY side"

And with that he was off and out of the cafe.

Donovan stepped out and looked bothways and then hurried across the street to Elias in the waiting car, the black man stuck his head out the window, "hurry it up wise guy!"

Mike turned and saw a Visitor patroller pointing at him and another checking a data pad he was holding to check.

No sooner was Mike's feet in the car there was a laser blast, Elias floored the gas and they were off at the screach of a tyre.

VVV

Jeff Moran had removed his shirt and Juliet examined the extent of his injuries on his back in the medical bay. Juliet gasped and ran a line with her finger down one of the longer cuts.

"Oh my god! Jeff! What the hell did they DO to you up there?"

Jeff swallowed and shook his head, "I suppose I was akin to a lab rat...that's how I felt...they just did what they wanted to me...Diana and her scientists...and all the pain and discomfort, they deliberately made sure I felt every cut because SHE enjoyed seeing me suffer...she got off on it I suppose"

Juliet turned him around and saw that his chest was just the same, a patchwork mismatch of horrible wounds, she looked up and met his eyes, "has Lou seen this? have you told her how they..."

He shook his head, "No...I didn't want to scare her"

She told him to put his shirt back on and then asked, "do you think that they did anything to do? You know...taking bits of your organs or modifying bits..."

"I don't think so...I hope not...I don't feel strange or...I FEEL fine, time will tell I suppose"

Juliet pulled the makeshift curtain across and smiled at him, "well you are safe now..."

Jeff leaned on the trolley, "the one I spoke to...the Visitor that helped me escape in the shuttle...he said that hundreds of humans have been victim to a gas called Nitrovenaga 8..."

Juliet frowned, "What do you mean?"

Jeff turned, "the camps...there's this camp where all the sick people go...the ones where they are not gonna be good for eating or fighting in a war with their enemy...they are no good, so they are all put in the same camp...hundreds of them...they are all marched off to a chamber where they are gassed to death"

"Oh my god!"

"he said that...the gas makes them mad and they tear away at their own bodies...it's a blood bath...he said that he was assigned there the other week and the stench of death is rife even at the entry gates"

Juliet sighed and looked pretty much dismayed, "the more and more I hear...the more and more I think...can we beat this? NOBODY knows...everybody living their lives up there are oblivious to it all!"

Jeff was sardonic, "until they end up there themselves I guess"

She took a moment and gave him a sad smile, "they all look up to me...they THINK they are safe here...THEY THINK that the Visitors can't touch them down here...but you and me know different...it will only be a matter of time"

Jeff stepped forward, "We can't give up..."

"No...but it makes it so so very hard to carry on when you are up against those odds...maybe it IS to late...we have left it too late...the Visitors have risen to power because we as a race have let them...and we didn't know...they slipped in here and slipped in there until they all angles covered, and before we knew it our planet has been invaded, completely taken over and most of them up there are still blind to it..."

Jeff pressed her, "Yes they are, but waving healing centers under their noses curing the ill and dying and putting an end to famine in Africa is going to blind them...they are all looking towards the greater good"

Juliet pulled herself together, "okay...lets just take stock and think about our next move..."

"Thanks the spirit, now I better see what i can do to help...if I'm gonna be any good to you down here, I'm gonna have to start using a weapon...I'm not just a doctor no more,I'm a fighter as well"

Juliet chuckled, "join the club"

VVV

Daniel Bernstein sat up at the dining room table as Lynn served up the food. Stanley sat opposite him in silence. Only the wall clock ticking disturbed that silence. Both she and Stanley had been wondering where Terri was, Daniel had come back earlier on his own.

She sat down and looked towards the vacant seat she had set a place for, and then at her son and broke the silence, "So...is Terri not coming home for dinner?"

Daniel broke some bread and shrugged casually, "Nope"

Lynn and Stanley glanced at one another and she continued, "We just haven't seen the girl in a few days, that's all..."

Daniel shrugged again, and poured himself a glass of wine, "yep and you won't be seeing her anytime soon, I can tell you"

"Why not?"

"because she helped her father escape us...she's a traitor and deserves to be in the camps"

Lynn bit her lip and glanced again at Stanley, she then turned, "it's a shame...we liked her, didn't we Stanley?"

Before her husband could utter a word Daniel jumped up and raged, "WILL YOU JUST SHUT UP ABOUT HER! IF I HEAR YOU MENTION HER NAME ONE MORE TIME SHE WON'T BE THE ONLY ONE GOING TO THE CAMPS!"

And after that shocking outburst, he stormed off to his bedroom and slammed the door leaving quiet stricken Lynn and Stanley to finish their meal alone.

VVV

Juliet was in her dressing gown watching the late news in the kitchen of the underground. The Visitors were showcasing some new apparatus that would speed up construction of new homes. She had just showered and her hair was tucked in a towel. Mike then slunked to her side and gave her a lop sided grin, "So...you can rest easy now with a proper doctor on aboard again, huh?"

She looked at him as she stirred her tea, "a proper doctor? Are you suggesting I am not, Mr Donovan?"

He shrugged, "I'm not suggesting anything...I'm just saying what YOU'VE been saying all along, that's all..."

Juliet sighed and turned so she could lean her back against the counter, "yes...I know. And YES it has taken some of the pressure off...but we still have to bang our heads together to get another contact at the hospital...we'll be running out of medical supplies otherwise"

"Elias tells me that you are thinking about heading upstate?"

"Yes, Ysabel needs a few components for her..."

Juliet grinned and looked at him, "Ohhh that's why you've just stopped by in here...you want to come along?"

Mike shrugged, "I thought I might...if that's alright"

Juliet met his green eyes and he held them, "I think I might like that...if it's not too much trouble"

"No trouble at all...", he whispered.

The moment was broken by Elias coming in between them reaching for the kettle, "any hot water in that? We've got a major insect problem in the bathroom..."

He then looked at both of them, "Soz...was I disturbing anyting here?"

Juliet shook her head as she headed to the corridor, "No...nothing at all"

And Mike's eyes watched her go.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

 _A/N Depending on how busy I am, I hope to get another chapter out early next week. :)_


	19. Chapter 19

CHAPTER 19

Juliet Parish had been up early just after curfew was lifted, she was outside in the fresh air with Mike Donovan and a few others that were accompanying her upstate.

The day was hot and sunny and the they left the base at the abandoned water works and headed to the lock ups where their vehicles were holed up.

As Nigel rolled up the door of the garage, Todd came forward in his trash collection garb and jumped into the cab of the dumpster truck and turned the ignition.

Mike stood outside and kept watch. The street was pretty much clear but for a morning jogger running by and a few cars on the road. Juliet threw her cane into the back of the truck as it pulled out and jumped on board with 4 others.

Nigel closed up the lock up and, also dressed up in trash collector garb, jumped into the passenger seat up front, Mike jumped in the rear and the back was closed up tight, stolling away it's hidden cargo of resistors.

The truck then pulled away onto the road and followed the morning traffic.

VVV

This was the morning of another journey as well. Terri Bernsteins. She had been locked away in a police cell for the night, now this morning, she was marched to the rear of the station and stood with a group of people that had been rounded up the previous day for one thing or another.

Terri looked out of place in her brown Visitors friends uniform and at first the other members of the group thought that she was there to watch them, they all eyed her suspiciously.

The bus pulled up and two Visitor patrollers jumped off and started to blurt out orderes in their vibrating voices, "This way and board the bus...there will be no questions and you will all remain quiet"

Terri was up at the rear of the line and was last to board the bus, the alien patroller stopped her by grabbing her arm, "Oh, this is unexpected..."

Terri tried to be brave, "this is a mistake...and when I get to the camp, I will sort out this matter..."

The Patroller chuckled, "yes...it will be sorted out all right...hey Sidney..."

A young Visitor friends male came over from the lot and came to his side, "look here Sidney...this be a reminder that not everybody is safe when they break the law...tell that to your fellows in the team"

Sidney was 20 and looked at Terri, "I know you...you are Daniel's wife..."

"This is a mistake Sid...I shouldn't be here!"

The Visitor patroller then struck her with the butt of his rifle and she was cowering on the tarmac of the lot, "DID I GIVE PERMISSION FOR YOU TO SPEAK!"

Sidney looked down at her then at the Visitor, "What did she do wrong, sir?"

"She broke the law...her father is a wanted man and party to the conspiracy of criminal scientists...she failed to inform on him when she KNEW his whereabouts...now she, like the others on this bus, will pay the price for her mistake"

Sidney saw the bruise on Terri's cheek as she stood and boarded the bus, the patroller watched as the doors hissed shut and he banged the side loudly and it was off.

At her seat near a grubby dirty window, Terri watched as Sid looked up at her and the distance grew as the bus pulled away.

VVV

Up aboard the Mothership, Paul made his way along the dim lit corridor to the door he knew that was Diana's office. He paused and removed his cap and pressed the chime on the wall next to the door to alert his arrival within.

Diana sat at her desk chatting with Kristine Walsh when she heard the chime, she turned and pressed the release and the door slid open. Paul entered.

"Ahhh Paul...I'm so glad you got my message, I trust you had a pleasent trip over from Washington"

Paul stood straight and had his hands behind his back, "yes indeed Diana..."

Diana smiled and held his eyes, then met Kristine's who sat on a bunk nearby with a notepad, "Kristine - may I introduce you to Paul"

Kristine smiled and held her hand out to shake the Visitor's hand, "yes, I think we have met a few times out east", she breezed.

Paul returned the smile, "we have Ms Walsh, It's nice to see you again"

Diana turned her attentions to Kristine, "that will be all for today, Kristine..."

The human rose up from the bunk and Diana reached out and grasped her hand gently and held her gaze, then Kristine was off out the door, Diana's eyes watched her go then they fell upon Paul, "Now...the reason why I have asked you here..."

Paul swallowed, "I am here to serve in any way possible, of course"

Diana sat down and looked at him, "Over the last year since we arrived, you have been head of the human/Visitor relations council, over that time I suspect that you have got to know the human behaviours very well...?"

"Yes Diana, I think I understand their nature...in some ways not too dis-similiar to ourselves"

Diana rose her eyebrows, "Some of us may dispute that, but, that is a matter for another time, I have summoned you here because I want your help where we go from here...ways we can, shall we say, garantee the continued cooperation of the humans"

Paul listened.

VVV

The Dumpster truck had made head way up the coast. Traffic was thin, but luckily any road blocks that were passed by, they were busy with making arrests of escaping scientists.

Inwith a few hours, the truck at made it to the edge of the red woods to the north near San Francisco. That cities Mothership could be viewed high in the strataphere in the distance.

It was long and hard hike over a few long hours and as darkness came, they had reached the secluded community deep in the red wood well off the dirt track.

Robert Maxwell and Ysabel Encalada met them at the village perimeter and after a few welcoming hugs, all of them went off into the direction of the main cabin.

Juliet was bushed as she cobbled to a nearby hard seat, "I'm telling you, that hike has nearly finished me off..."

Ysabel laughed and filled a kettle up at the water pump near the sink, "You'll be right as rain in a few hours, Julie"

Mike looked about the place. The log cabin was small and cramped and littered with all sorts of hi-tech equipment that had been gathered here secretly over the last few months.

"This place is impressive", he remarked when his eyes fell on her.

Ysabel laughed, "Why thank you Mr Donovan, I almost forget, this is your first time up here, isn't it"

Donovan shook his head, "yes it is...I'm full time with the underground since we last met, I figured working alone wasn't getting me nowhere", and he looked towards Juliet in the chair with her feet up on a wooden crate.

She smiled, "and we are glad to have you Mr Donovan"

Juliet looked at Ysabel who made the tea, "We've got those fuses and wires you needed"

"Gee thanks...at last I can get my harddrive booted up again..."

Robert came in from the night and closed the door, "I've just shown where the others can sleep for the night"

Juliet threw him a warm smile, "thanks Robert...", she held her hand out and he took it, "...how have you been? Hows the girls?"

Roberts dark eyes looked tired, "trying...if there's a word for it...Polly's growing up so fast she is chasing boys around like there's no tomorrow...Katie's taller than you last saw her..."

"...and Robin?"

Robert sighed and shook his head, "the usual...she needs watching for most of the time, that's if she gets up out of bed at all...she's just...distant...withdrawn...Polly won't go near her because she freaks her out...she needs the one thing I can't give her..."

"...her Mom I know"

Ysabel looked up when the conversation went silent, "right...I better organise where you two can sleep"

VVV

Aboard the Los Angeles Mothership, Paul had taken some time to come up with a few suggestions for Diana. What he had come across was TV footage of this Anti-Visitor campaign. He now stood in her office, when she entered in her long red dress and twirled around to meet his eyes alluringly, "So...what have you got for me, Paul?"

Paul cleared his throat, "well...I think we can use something to our advantage"

Diana toyed with a little white mouse,"Oh?"

"The organisation that call themselves the Anti-Visitor campaign...I think we can do more than shutting them up"

"...or shutting them down"

Paul nodded, "yes...all in together...we can use the activites of the anti-Visitor campaign to turn the other human against them"

Diana sat and held his eyes, "go on..."

"WE organise a few choice explosions here and there...kill a few humans here and there...maybe a whole shopping mall can be blown skyhigh murdering thousands...all this in the name of the Anti-Visitor campaign, and of course Kristine resporting the atrosities, will turn the humans very much against them..."

Diana broke into a smile, "yes...I can see that happening...the humans will want us to provide MORE security and that means..."

"...More control", finished Paul.

Diana stood and circled Paul, then stood at his shoulder looking at him closely, "you are an asset I'm sure...and I have every confidence in you carrying this out"

"What about the Admiral? Should he be informed...?"

Diana trod carefully how she answered, "John need not be bothered with this...I'm sure his pretty little speeches will keep him far from occupied...at present you report this just to me, Paul...you understand?"

"Yes Diana"

"good..."

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

A/N: Love to know what you think :) - feedback can only be a good thing, good or bad.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Jenny was feeling tired. She rose out of bed and slipped on her baggy slacks and, dragging her feet on the concrete floor, made her way down the corridor to the TV room where she saw members of the group including Ruby and Elias watching the small screen. Kristine Walsh was shaking the hand of the Visitor admiral John with many other important officials, as he came onto a huge stage that was decored with flapping banners of the Visitor flag.

There was a band playing too and it cut to Kristine with a mic to her mouth, "There are scenes like this playing up and down the country and right across the world as we come together and celebrate the first anniversary since the Visitors arrived. Whether it be street parties, fanfares or parades, everybody seems to have come out today to welcome in this marvellous milestone..."

Elias pulled face and waved out a hand to the TV set in total disbelief of the publics gullability, "What a bunch of crap!"

Ruby chuckled. Jenny sighed and decided she might feel alittle better if she went back to bed for a while.

VVV

It was a gorgerous sunny day in the deep red woods, and Mike Donovan finished his morning coffee in a tin mug outside the makeshift log cabin that belonged to Fran Leonetti.

She leaned on the wood rail and smiled at him, "Josh just gets really bored here Mike...he's growing up fast and wants to be in with all the action"

"Careful what you wish for. He's 14 there's no way Josh is going near the city at the moment...where is he now? I was hopeing to see him before we set off tonight"

Fran pointed into the woods around them, "in there somewhere, I don't know where he goes but he's gone for hours"

Mike took her into his arms and gave her a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek, "Tony'll be happy to see that you are getting on with things..."

Fran sadly shook her head, "I rather him be here...but looking after Josh has kept me busy, I guess"

Mike pointed to the woods, "I'm gonna see if I can find him, I'll catch you before I leave..."

VVV

In the main cabin, Juliet and Ysabel chatted as the computer expert finished rewiring her harddrive, "I'm sorry to hear about Brad...he was with you since the beginning..."

Juliet nodded from where she turned a deck of playing cards in her hands, she sniffed back, "Yeah he was...just a small band of us hiding out in the back of a laundry mat"

Ysabel turned and focused her middle-aged eyes on her, "and when Phillip came up last month, he told me about the raid on the central line...that was pretty risky on your part young lady"

Juliet nodded, "I was doing it for us, the greater good...but it was all for nothing...I mean, some benefited out of it, a few of the scientists got off the train, but alot of them already have been rounded up since and sent to the camps"

"And what is all this I hear about Jimmy Roberts starting up his own group?"

Juliet confirmed it, "the anti-Visitor campaign. He's got quite a following...the Visitors have been incredibly tolerant with them so far, but I'm sure if they can get away with it, they'll shut them down"

"But blowing things up?"

Juliet frowned, "what?"

"It was on the TV this morning not long after that Kristine Walsh woman was blurting on and on about it being a year since THEY came. I let you sleep in because you looked so tired, but yeah...a whole shopping mall just outside LA was blown sky high...hundreds if not thousands of people have been killed they say, because they were all out due to the anniversary celebrations"

Juliet looked disgusted, "How can he do this! He is playing right into the hands of the Visitors, this will give them all the ammo they need to stamp them out"

"I bet you're glad you let him go"

Juliet shook her head and grabbed her cane, "I think I'm gonna go and grab some air"

VVV

The teenage boy sat and looked up from what he was reading and watched as the blond haired girl with the braids, ran about the gigantic tree roots, a boy was chasing after her and they were laughing like mad as they ran deeper into the woods and out of sight.

Mike was making the most of being in the great outdoors. He strolled through the trees with his hands in his pockets when he caught sight of the boy who was sitting on a fallen log.

"Hey Josh! There you are"

Josh turned his head from where he sat and jumped to his feet in his blue hoodie.

"Mr Donovan! Long time no see!"

"Likewise"

Josh came forward and Mike noticed the book he was carrying, "So what are you reading?"

"Just a comic book - it's old - I think I've read it about a hundred times, I used to have them all"

Mike smiled and looked about them, "I bet you love being outside since you got here"

The boy pulled a face and shrugged, "Naaaa...I'm a city boy me...It's alright I guess, but...well...sometimes I wish I was back with you guys"

Mike pulled a face, "What? Stuck in that old dark sewer, that's no place for a teenage boy, I'm sure I wouldn't want Sean to be stuck down there in the dark"

Josh's eyes lit up when Donovan mentioned his son, "Have you found Sean?"

The newsman shook his head sadly, "No..."

"I still miss my Mom & Dad. That's why I want to come back with you and fight...I can use a gun...Im 14 now, I'm a fighter"

Mike placed his hands firmly over the teens shoulders, "NO! You have to stay here and look after Fran for me, you understand?"

The boy shrugged and then looked over Mike's shoulder to see the blond girl come running and duck into the near trees, the boy chasing her was laughing and disappeared after her.

Mike smirked, "So...you like the Maxwell kid"

Josh nodded, "She's cool...but I think she likes Randy so I've got no chance"

Mike tried to find common ground for the boy, "I heard she likes comic books..."

Josh looked up, "Yeah?"

"Yeah, her dad mentioned it...it'll give you something to talk about"

"Thanks Mr Donovan"

"Come on...I'll walk with you back to the cabins"

VVV

Jenny had rushed to the bathroom and threw up in the sink. She had a stabbing pain in her stomach and she turned and called for help up the dank corridor. Shirley, a black woman in a head bandanna scarf, called out as she hurried towards the girl, who was no on all fours, "Hey can I get some help in here!"

Amass of people gathered up the corridor and Sancho at the rear turned back and hollowed for somebody to fetch Dr Moran.

Jenny looked up to the faces that were looking down at her. There was a tidal of voices in all directions,

"You are gonna be okay" "Hold on in there" Give her some space" Are you in much pain, Jenn?"

Jenny managed to blurt out, "I want Juliet..."

Caleb's deep voice answered her from the back somewhere, "She's upstate honey, she won't be back till tomorrow night"

Jeff then came through the gathering and crouched towards her, "Jenny everything is gonna be fine...", he looked back at his gawping fellows. "... somebody go get that medical trolley, now!"

VVV

Mike was approaching the main-cabin as Juliet was coming out. She smiled at him and stood there leaning on her cane and looking down to him with her blue eyes,

"So...did you have a good walk Mr Donovan?"

He met her eyes and grinned, "Yeah...it was good to grab some fresh air and catch up with a few people I haven't seen in a long time"

Juliet watched him come up the 3 steps to stand next to her on the cabin porch, "howabout you? Wishing you didn't have to go back to the city?"

She sighed and pulled a strand of blond hair out of her eyes, "I'm not looking forward to it no - but I don't have much choice in the matter, do I? I have to get back and be there for them - to lead them"

He shook his head, "yeah, you do - and you do a pretty good job at it too -", she looked at him not entirely convinced that he was ligit in his statement, " - it's TRUE! There's nobody better down there than YOU and you know it"

"Thanks for constantly reminding me"

"You just need 'reminding' that's all..."

Juliet intook a breath and changed the subject abruptly, "What about you? We are so close to San Francisco here - aren't you not tempted to get onto that ship to find your son?"

The thought had occurred to him, of course it did - but he shook his head, "I don't think I'd get too far, do you? Martin doesn't know anybody we can trust on that particular ship at the moment, so I think any attempt by me would be futile - GOD- I hate to admit that!"

Suddenly Ysabel and Robert Maxwell came out form the cabin behind them, "Hey...I think you might have to stay up here for another night!"

Juliet turned and frowned, "Why?"

It was Robert that answered, "there's chaos right down the coast, explosions, fires, long tail backs on the roads down there, it's just been on the TV"

Juliet sighed and looked up at Mike, "Well...I just hope they don't need me down there..."

VVV

There was a long line of traffic up the coast. More explosions hit the area. An ice skating rink off the freeway was ablaze, with people fleeing in their droves and screaming in terror from the carnage.

Police sirens wailed out in all directions as helicopter crews of Visitor controlled media were filming the scenes from high above. Kristine Walsh was in the lead 'copter and was voice overing the shocking scenes filmed by her cameraman Bob.

"Again, it is believed that this is the continued actions of the so-called Anti-Visitor-campaign. who are determined to blame the Visitors for these horrific atrosites. I am being told that hundreds of people have been killed and countless others have been injured. Many witnesses have come forward however, and have reported seeing members of the campaign minutes before the attacks - there will be more reports as they come in"

Kristine had signed off and pointed to the pilot, "see if you can get further in, I want to see how much damage has been done - Bob get your camera set"

The air rushed and their faces caught the wind and the stench of smoke as they lowered over the scene.

Suddenly there was a massive gas explosion from just beneath them. The shockwave sent the 'copter flying sideways-on, and smack bang into the side of a building.

Kristine screamed and clung on for dear life as she felt herself slip from the seat. Bob her cameraman fell to his death into the chasm of firey chaos below.

The pilot turned back to her and yelled at the top of his voice, "that's it! It's over I've got no power, no nothing!"

Kristine's heart raced as the sinking feeling took over and she realised that the ground was getting ever the nearer. There was gutt-wretching tears in her eyes. It was not supposed to be like this...she had envisioned a future with herself on a chatshow, on the TV, on tour with her new book about her intimate experiences with the Visitors when they had finally left the Earth.

There was no pain. The slow motion was around her, the heat, the smoke, the ear-piercing screaming chaos of the ground.

Mike Donovan's face came to her mind, they were walking together on the beach and laughing together as the soft breeze touched their cheeks and they were gazing into eachothers eyes knowing he should have been with Marjorie doing the DIY at home.

Of course she loved him.

She hadn't really loved anybody else...and she was fine with that.

Finally admitting that to herself was a comfort for her as the helicopter hit the ground -

-and it vapourised.

VVV


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Jenny was lying back on the trolley and felt hot. She looked at Jeff who took another blood pressure reading. Jenny could see the worry frowns.

"It's too high, isn't it?"

Jeff turned and reassured her, "it is, but it's a little lower than the last reading...I think it's best you rest here and not walk around too much"

Ruby was sat in a chair next to the trolley and reached out and squeezed the girls hand, "You'll be fine...you just need rest"

She looked at the old woman, "I just want Juliet to get back...this isn't like any normal pregnancy is it? And she's seen it before"

Jeff shook his head and pulled the curtain across, "What we need is a scan...I'm just trying to rack my brains to figure out who I can trust"

Ruby rubbed the back of Jenny's hand as Jeff paced about, "Maybe Tilly...", both the woman frowned and he elaberated, "...she's a midwife I know...we used to get-a-long well...the only thing is that the last time I saw her SHE was seeing a Young Visitor doctor called Louie"

Ruby voiced her concerns, "but what if you can't trust her? The last thing she needs is to be probed about at the hospital and..."

Jenny was frustrated, "Ohhhh I just want Julie!"

Jeff nodded and was barely audible, "Yeah...I know how you feel..."

VVV

Jeff went back to his dorm to rest a while. Louise came in and kissed him on the back of the neck, "You okay?"

He turned, "I worried about the girl Jenny...this...this pregnancy needs checking out and I can do that with a scan"

Louise shook her head, "but how? You are a wanted man, there is no way you'll be able to get to that hospital with her and not get arrested"

"That's why I'm gonna see if i can trust Tilly...remember her? She delivered your sisters little one last year"

"I suppose...I wouldn't want to swear to it though...it seems these days you don't know who to trust"

Louise watched him sit on the squeaky campbed and she turned, "I'll get us a hot drink...oh...it's just been on the news, it seems that all those attacks by the Anti-Visitor- campaign has resulted into the death of that Walsh woman"

Jeff looked up, "Oh yeah? It seems that nodody is safe...whoever you are"

"...yeah and don't bank on Juliet getting back anytime soon, with all the resulting chaos all the roads are closed as well"

Jeff held his head in his hands in frustration, that's all he needed.

VVV

"There...that's where they meet, and you will find him there most evenings after curfew"

The black Visitor captain placed a firm hand over the teenagers shoulder, "Well done young Jerry, you have done well"

Jerry looked up to the Visitor, "Ross was a good friend, he liked to go to the arcades with me...but then...well...my dad said that Mr Roberts wanted him for something - that's all I know, I promise...will you free my Mom and Dad now?"

The Visitor smiled at him, "Of course...I will make certain that YOU will join them very soon...and together, as a family, you will share the reward"

Jerry was puzzled as a Visitor patroller came forward, "what reward?"

The Captain only grinned and focused his attentions on the laundry mat building on the corner.

VVV

Jimmy Roberts was on stage as he held his mic and turned to his audience, "Now we can see how the Visitors are frightened of us - BY DELIBERATELY setting off explosives and killing innocent men, woman and children and FRAMING US for it...they cannot find a way to stop us, so they intend to make the public hate us"

"But they do", called out one man.

"Yes...no one as seen Lenny Fox since the other meeting...Fred said that he heard his building had been raided", said grey haired woman.

Jimmy shook his head, "They are running scared, that's why! They are gonna pick on us - but without the proof, they cannot pin these damned faked astrocites in our name!"

"But we have caused some explosions in the past - they couldn't proove it was us or the resistance, but that's given THEM the idea to frame us...they can't be seen shutting us down when we march, but they can pin these terrorist actions on us"

Jimmy laughed, "the only proof is to admit to it, and because we didn't, we haven't got anything to worry about..."

Suddenly from all around them, there was a hive of activity. There was the sound of running boots and the cocking of weapons. Jimmy looked up to see the doors come crashing in and a baradge of armed Visitors patrollers were swarming in and told them all to remain standing still and be quiet.

The Black Captain was the last one to enter, and looked to the stage where Jimmy stared right back at him.

"So...Mr Roberts...at last me meet"

Jimmy was confident as he addressed his followers, "don't be alarmed, this is a peaceful gathering and they cannot touch us or arrest us for meeting to discuss our next peaceful march"

The Captain was amused, "really? You think? Mr Roberts, the worlds news has been all about YOU and your following and how they have caused all these monsterous astrosties...infact your group is taken over the top spot from the most reveered scientists"

Jimmy swallowed, "there is nothing you can do"

"Oh, there is...", and he turned his attention to his troops, "leave Mr Roberts where he is...and kill the rest"

There was a chaotic scurge of screaming and yelling out in terror as the Visitor patrollers fired their pulse rifles to the crowd, people tried to get away and trampled upon eachother, but it didn't take long to silence the screams as Jimmy soon found out because no sooner could he look up, he was looking back to the Captain as the screams and murmurs fell silent.

"Now...Mr Roberts...you will come with us...you have an appointment to keep..."

VVV

Jeff Moran must have dozed off for a while, because the next thing he knew was, was that Louise was shaking him awake.

Jeff stared into her eyes wide, "What is it?"

Louise tugged on his arm to get him off the bed, "You are gonna have to be quick, it's Jenny...SHE'S GONE!"

Elias and Caleb had searched the building and tunnels top to bottom, but there was no sign of the girl.

"Where do you think she is?", asked Ruby who was really concerned, "I only popped out to get her a hot drink and when I got back, her bed was empty"

Elias stepped forward, "It's no use man...she's not here"

A girl called Shelby came running down the gloomy tunnel towards them, "Hey you guys! I found this near the back exit!"

Ruby recognised it straightaway, "It's hers, it's her mothers scarf!"

Jeff turned to the faces looking at him for direction, "Then she's got out..."

VVV

Jenny pulled the bathrobe around her and came out of the alleyway as the searchlights took another scan when a Visitor patrol shuttle glided over head. She swallowed down and kept to the dark shadows, the hospital wasn't too faraway now.

There was another cramp in her abdomen and she crouched down to ease the pain. Was these contractions? She hadn't a clue, she didn't know.

She intook a few deep breaths and made her way forth until she rounded a corner and a bright search light was suddenly straight in her face...

VVV

Jimmy Roberts was battered and bruised. A cut ran from his forehead to the corner of his eyebrow. He was slumped in metal like chair and his wrists were clamped tight to it's arms. The small chamber he was in was cool and dim lit and there seemed to be a stench of chemicals about him, akin to a laboratory.

A door slid aside and Diana came in and folded her arms across her chest. Her hair was tied back and rolled and arranged in a style that was tightly held from her face. She looked at him and then hinted a smile.

"So Mr Roberts, I have the pleasure of meeting the man who fronts the Anti-Visitor-campaign, you are not how I have imagined"

"do what you like to me...but I'll still laugh in your face!", he spat.

Diana raised her eyebrows. her eyes boring into him, "really? Well...the only thing I am going to do with you at present Mr Roberts, is to clear up those very nasty cuts you have"

Jimmy was confused, he hadn't been expecting this, "W-what?"

"Yes...I need you to be looking at your very best Mr Roberts, when you are ready for what I have instore for you..."

Jimmy looked about him, "Where am I?"

Diana looked at him, like she was studying him at length as he looked about the room and back at her, "you are on board the Mothership Mr Roberts...now, let me tend to those wounds and then you will be ready for what I have planned"

She went and pulled a steel trolley over with many unsual utensils arranged on top. She turned and very gently, she began to sew up his cut, "have you ever heard of brain-washing Mr Roberts?"

He swallowed.

She knew he understood, "...yes I think you have...well, that's what I have instore for you, and when I am finished...I afraid you will be admitting to those terrible atrostites you have inflicted on your people"

Jimmy shook his head, "No, it's not going to happen...you can't brain-wash me, however much you torture me"

Diana leaned over him and looked directly into his eyes, "my brain-washing technique is rather raw...the conversion process, as I like to call it, has been used countless times since we arrived here...MOST cases it has been remarkabley effective...but there has been a few mistakes that have resulted in...", she stopped in midflow deliberately and smiled, "...but I'm sure you will be successful subject"

She turned and continued, "You will admit to the world how you masterminded the killing of several hundred people with your reckless plans of a campaign to rid us from your world...a campaign that resulted in the death of the much loved Kristine Walsh...our human spokesperson..."

"I will say NOTHING of the kind!"

Diana remained very calm and dangerous, "Oh but you WILL Mr Roberts, you see, you will be making this confession BELIEVING every word that comes out of your mouth...the process is THAT effective that it totally changes the personality to the extent that we can feed in any information that is required from you"

She turned and the door slid open to reveal two Visitor scientists, "take Mr Roberts to the main lab and prepare the facility for a new subject, have the injections ready and the system booted up"

"Yes Diana"

They came forward and unlocked Jimmy from the confine-chair and dragged him out of the room, Diana's eyes followed him out the door...

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV


	22. Chapter 22

CHAPTER 22

Juliet Parrish had spent longer at the upstate refuge than she intended to. On the news, she had watched as the Visitor controlled media broadcasted the terrible astrostites committed by the so called 'Anti-Visitor-campaign'.

Ysabel Encalada brought her a morning coffee across to her, "there you go"

Juliet screwed her face up as she pointed to the scenes of horror on the TV screen, "can you believe this is happening? Jimmy was reckless, but he wouldn't do this...he wouldn't intentionly kill all those people"

Ysabel sighed, "Wouldn't he? You said he is reckless...if you've got the pressure stacking up on you from your followers to go out there and do something, maybe that's exactly what he did"

Juliet shook her head and bit her lip, then both women turned their heads as the cabin door opened and Mike Donovan entered. He closed the door behind him quietly and pointed to the TV set, "have they said anything about the roads? We should try and get back, like you said"

Juliet swallowed down and stood up looking at him, "Donovan...I think you should know that..."

Mike was too quick for her, "...I know...Robert told me about Kristine...", he dry chuckled. "...she always did like to chase a good story..."

Juliet swallowed the lump in her throat for him, "I'm sorry...I know you and her had alot of history..."

Mike met her eyes, "Yeah we did...and that's where it's all consigned to now...history"

There was an arkward silence and Mike thumbed to the door, "right, lets not all stand here looking at ourselves...lets get the hell out of here and get back, shall we..."

VVV

Jenny was at the hospital. She was in bed and the doctor checked her over.

She had been brought here when a Visitor patrol had captured her. She had pleaded with them that she hadn't meant to break curfew, but she was in so much pain because of being in labour, that she had to get to the hospital and she didn't think it through.

Luckily the alien patrol captain had taken pity on her, and together with seeing that she was in so much pain, was compassionate enough to get her to the hospital.

Now, she laid her head back on the pillow, and thought back how all this nightmare had started.

 _She had met Nick soon after the Visitors had arrived. He had dressed as a techncian at first, but within a few months, he had resumed his true role as an armed patroller and she had given him the nickname soldier boy._

 _Everything seemed so different at the start. It was all so terribly exciting. He really was a gent. They talked at first. She used to come out of work and he would be heading to the Richland chemical plant where he was first based. He was one of the Visitor techncians that was responsible for the retooling._

 _In the following weeks, she used to chat to him in her lunchbreak. He told her all about his home planet and how nice it was before the devastation took it's toll._

 _Pollution was a major factor and he warned her the Earth could suffer the same effects if we continued to use fossil fuels. His scientists had told them._

 _But Jenny felt that would never happen. The Visitors were here now, and they would make sure the Earth wouldn't suffer a similiar fate in the far off future._

 _It was hand holding at first. He used to gather her hand into his and study her. At times, it seemed like that he was staring right into her, reading her every thought. And although he made her tremble at times, it was never from fear._

 _When Nick resumed as a patroller after the chemical plant was destroyed by the scientist terrorists, which she, like the nation as a whole, thought was responsible at the time, she saw a little less of him because he was so much busier with the day and night patrols._

 _But he did find time to be with her, and they used to go for walks on the beach and hold hands. Nick's hands were very cool. And he told her that was because their body temperatures were much lower than ours._

 _He liked to chase her on the sand and one hot day, she tripped and he fell on top of her, his eyes were searching hers and his mouth brushed hers._

 _It was a strange feeling and no sooner had he done it, he backed off. She told him that it was okay, that she wanted him to do it and he said that he shouldn't because it wouldn't be fair on her because after the chemical manufacturing was completed, she would never see him again._

 _But she didn't care. She liked being in his company. And when she became lost in his eyes, like he was controlling her somehow, she liked that feeling of control._

 _One night, when he got off duty, he came to her appartment and she was dressed in no more than a bathrobe, because she had just gotten out of the tub. Her hair was lank and damp and he removed his helmet._

 _It was then, although she felt a whoare for doing it, she let her bathrobe slip and it feel to her feet. He looked at her up and down and then, he lowered his lips and met hers._

 _She was lost in the moment. He lowered her to the couch and then unfastened his over tunic and removed his heavy jack-boots._

 _He then unbuttoned his overalls and let the top half slip to the hips. The Visitors were hairless it seemed to her. The nipples were perfect, the skin seemed unblemished and perfect, except like his hands, the flesh felt ice cool to touch._

 _He looked down to her breasts and squeezed them with his hands. It seemed all very exploratory rather than sexual. Like he was working out what did what..._

 _"Just fuck me"_

 _That's what she craved from him. Her body was telling her that because she was so wet in excitment she thought she was going to explode._

 _His lips met hers and made their way down the neck to the pulse. He then lowered and sucked on her nipples._

 _Always, he seemed unsure, but he carried on anyway. She gasped in passion when he bit her, but it was nothing to what was coming next._

 _He was rough. He shoved her on her front and entered her from behind, he thrusted her and he was rather on the large side. She gasped in sexual pleasure, but there was also the feeling that this was not quite right._

 _After he had climaxed, he pulled out and immediately pulled up his overalls and sat looking at her._

 _She was rolled off the couch to gather up her bathrobe only to see blood on the couch and on the floor._

 _She had gone to the bathroom to sort herself out. The bleeding had stopped and she reckoned on just keeping an eye on the situation there after._

 _He was gone when she came out of the bathroom and when she saw him next, he said that intercourse shouldn't happen again. But it did._

 _And now it only made her sick._

 _The thought now, of that...THING...that...MONSTER...inside her!_

She rubbed her stomach swelling as the curtain was pulled aside and the doctor came forward, "right...how are things here? How far appart are the contractions?"

Jenny looked up, "they've stopped"

The doctor and midwife glanced at one another. The doctor then turned to look at her again and smiled, "I think I am going to do a scan...it's nothing to fret about I am sure, but...lets just see what's happening..."

Jenny felt sick.

VVV

"...the hospital? Is that where you think she's gone to?", asked Louise as she followed Jeff up the corridor.

"Yes...I don't think she's got any confidence then anyone but Juliet...and seeing since she's..."

"She's here...", interrupted Elias approaching them and thumped back up the corridor, "they've just got back and she's asking about her, man"

VVV

"HOW COULD YOU LET THIS HAPPEN! FOR GODS SAKES!

Juliet was red faced and angry when Jeff told her, Jeff himself was at his wits end, "She is so frightened Julie, that she KNOWS that we are not clearer sorting this problem out for her than she is...I think...I think she has made her way to hospital"

"YOU THINK?! GOD-DAMN IT JEFF!"

Juliet looked away, intook a deep breath and turned and was calmer, "look...let's get to the hospital and see if she's there...she's not thinking straight, that's all...we're all not...me as well...", she smiled at him, "...it has just been a stressful trip getting back here that's all, with all the chaos and road blocks, we had to detour several times...but...I'm back now, and I'm still glad you are here"

Jeff nodded, "Well...there's someone who we, I MIGHT, be able to contact ...a midwife...I think that's our first port of call"

"Can you trust her?"

Jeff shrugged, "that's the 100 billion dollar question, but what choice do we have?

VVV

At the hospital, Jenny was on the bed as the midwife and doctor looked at the monitor. The midwife moved the scanner up and down and across Jenny's bump and glanced at the image and looked at the doctor with more than a gasp of the lips.

The doctor turned to her, "Jenny, when was your last scan?"

Jenny swallowed down, "Ahhhh...a while ago maybe...a few months, I guess", it was all very vague because she hadn't had one at all.

"Okay...", he turned to the midwife, "...see if you've got her notes in the files"

"yes doctor"

The doctor was all smiles as he switched the monitor off, "everything is going to be just fine..."

VVV

Parked outside in the lot, Juliet was in the back of the van. Elias with a pair of dark shades was at the wheel. Jeff turned back to look at Julie, his hair had been shaved off, along with his moustache and beard growth, and with a pair of thick ripped glasses, he actually looked like a different person.

"Right here I go...you better get outta here though, this place is swarming with them", Julie and Elias could see the two shuttles parked in the lot and various ranks of Visitor indivduals from medic to patroller milling about the place.

"Okay...we'll be back in two hours, at the rear behind the dumpsters...I'll hope and prayer you have Jenny with you...", said Julie.

Jeff climbed out the van and watched as the van filtered off into the head on traffic. Jeff, donned in an axillary uniform casually walked over to the main entrance and entered the hospital. Reception was as busy as ever with the ER just around the corner. There was two corridors and an elevator.

One corridor was lined with wheelchairs and a group of elderly people having a chat. The other corridor was thinly populated but was blocked by a nurse being chatted up by a helmeted Visitor patroller. Whilst the elevators doors binged open and a couple of doctors came out leaving it vacant. Jeff made a beeline and hurried inside before the doors could slide shut.

"DOORS CLOSING" said the automated voice. Jeff was relieved.

"DOORS OPENING"

Jeff looked up to see a Visitor medic enter and stand next to him.

"DOORS CLOSING"

Jeff cleared his throat and said, "What floor?"

"Third"

Jeff pressed the button and looked the other way.

VVV

Juliet waited in the back of the van from where it sat underneath an abandoned underpass.

Elias was watching the news on his tiny portiable TV. The News was on.

"...and today, we have the full confession of Jimmy Roberts, the leader of the so called Anti-Visitor-campaign, confessing to the astrosities himself and his followers have caused in the last 24 hours"

Juliet's ears pricked, "What was that? Jimmy is confessing to all that bombing yesterday?"

Elias nodded, "Lookslikeit...I always said he was a kinda mad max"

The image on the tiny screen portrayed Jimmy, he was in cuffs and held by police.

"I am so sorry about what I have done...I clearly must have been out of my tiny mind when I was planning these attacks...I beg forgiveness from the people, but I know that I am asking too much..."

"He sounds like he's in monotone mode", laughed Elias.

Juliet grabbed the TV and stared at the screen, "he's been GOT AT!"

Elias frowned, "Whatcha' talking about doc?"

Juliet met his dark eyes, "You heard about that brain-washing technique they use...this conversion process...HE'S CONVERTED...and the Visitors look like saints by being our saviours of the day!"

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV


	23. Chapter 23

CHAPTER 23

 _A/N: Hi. Sorry about the long wait, I was in a road crash (a truck crashed into the bus I was on) and have been in the hospital for a few weeks! Im on the mend now and thankfully writing stories again._

 _XXXX_

Jeff Moran spend one never-ending minute with the Visitor medic in the elevator. The doors opened and the alien strode out ahead of him, Jeff hung back then stood next to a laundry trolley so he was half obscured. Maternity was just ahead on the right...just where that damned Visitor medic was headed, and now the aliens name came to mind. It was Louie.

Jenny felt uncomfortable as she watched the midwife leave her side and meet the Visitor medic that had come in through the doorway. There was a tune of hush voices and they occasionally glanced her way.

Jenny couldn't miss the body language because she had been there all before. The way she looked into his eyes and the way he stood all macho in front of her and all powerful, like she was hypnotised or something.

There was definately chemistry between the Visitor medic and the midwife.

Jenny swallowed down nervously as the medic came forward, "hello...you must be Jenny...Tilly has been telling me all about you and your growing life inside you"

Jenny noted that is was all very clinicial on the aliens part...it wasn't a pregnancy, but a growing life inside her.

She felt his cool hands all over her bump as he examined her and then he held a beeping thing over her and studied the read out, he looked at her and smiled and then frowned at the instrument.

Tilly was at the aliens side, she saw the puzzling look on his face, "anything wrong doctor?"

Louie nodded his head and was all fake white teeth smiles, "no...everything seems fine...I just need to show this to my superior"

Tilly saw that Jenny looked nervous and came to her side taking her hand and looking back at the Visitor, "your superior? Then you think there is a...problem?"

Louie was sharp with her, "I said there is NOT...", he smiled and was pleasent again, "...I'm sure you have other patients to attend to Miss Roadgers"

Tilly gave Jenny a parting smile and stopped at the Visitors side, "Will I see you later?"

He looked at her and tilted his head, "Of course..."

Tilly left the room and Louie looked up at Jenny, "I need to do a blood test on you...it's not a test you will be familiar with, but I have every reason to decide that you are carrying quite an egigma in you...I have heard of such conceptions but I didn't really consider them as factual...but now"

Jenny knew that HE knew...that's why he was going to contact his superior...visions of herself being detained aboard that metropolis in the sky came to the forefront...she didn't want this at all.

Jeff was at the door way and Jenny found eye-contact, he placed a finger on his lips to hush her. He then came forward and became confident, "doctor...sorry to disturb you with a patient, but nurse Roadgers has a problem with a patient in side room B"

Louie frowned, "Isn't there anybody else, ahhhh?"

"Phillip, I'm a Axillary here, she did say it was quite urgent"

The Visitor medic signed and looked at Jenny, "I will be back..."

Louie strode off and Jenny gasped, "Jeff? Your hair?"

"Quickly!", he hushed her, "We need to get out via the fire escape before he gets back"

VVV

Jeff helped Jenny down the curved iron stairwell of the fire-escape. Jenny pulled the hospital tunic around her as they reached the bottom and Jeff pointed to a clump of trees, "Over there...we are at the rear of the hospital and Juliet will be here shortly with the van...fingers crossed"

Looking both ways, they crossed the cargo hold and squeezed in behind the trees for cover and waited.

Elias glanced at his watch, "two hours are up doc..."

Juliet shook her head and the black man put his foot down onto the gas and the van moved out from underneath the underpass and back onto the street that lead towards the hospital.

In the meantime, Jeff had also been looking at the time and grabbing Jenny's hand they made their way towards the back of the dumpsters as arranged.

As they crouched down, a Visitor craft glided by over head and a mass of Visitor patrollers were hurrying across the loading bay and disappeared around the corner.

"Do you think they are looking for us?", asked Jenny.

Jeff shrugged, "I wouldn't be surprized...come on Elias where the hell are you with this Van!", he hissed.

The van was caught up in a line of traffic that went beyond the main gates. Elias stretched his neck up to see what was going on, and then stuck his head out of the window to get a better view of what was going on.

"What's the hold up?", asked Juliet.

Elias huffed and looked back to her, "I don't believe it man! They've only gone and set up a road check at the gate"

Juliet bit her lip, "Something must have gone wrong or they're searching for them..."

"...so where does that leave us, there is NO WAY we are gonna be able to get passed that block"

Juliet shook her head, "there is, just use the false Medical supplies delivery papers we have..."

Elias looked sheepish, "I didn't bring them with me"

"WHY NOT!"

"I didn't know there was gonna be a block did I!"

Juliet looked up ahead and aspied an armed Visitor patroller strolling alongside the line of vehicles at the gates, "We are gonna have to turn this around now"

Elias cranked the gears into reverse and they slided out the line of traffic and Elias marked a three-point-turn.

He then stamped on the gas and the van screeched up the road towards the exit slip road. Two Visitor transporter shuttles glided by overhead, they circled the area near the hospital.

Juliet closed her eyes, "God help them...", she whispered.

VVV

Jeff turned and saw that the wired eight foor fense behind them was lifted up at the base a yard or so along. It looked like an animal of somekind had used it as an entry or an exit to the hospital grounds.

"There...", he hissed to Jenny, "...see if you can drag yourself under it..."

Jenny looked at it skepitcally and then crawled over and stuck her head underneath and pulled her frame under the wire helm of the fense...but the tunic had hooked on on the wire.

"Jeff!", she hissed back at him, "I'm stuck!"

Jeff crawled along and unhooked the helm of the tunic and Jenny managed to free herself. She kneeled up and turned, "Come on, your turn"

Jeff was about to crawl underneath it when there was shouts and cries and Jenny looked up to see three Visitor friends youths come running over and pointing at Jeff.

"Run..."

"What about you?"

"GET OUTTA HERE NOW!"

Jenny swallowed and climbed to her feet and hurried across to the bushes that bordered the car lot. Jeff closed his eyes as he felt hands grabb his legs and feet and drag him back.

Jeff rolled over onto his back and looked up to see the youths looking down at him, then a Visitor patroller came forth and aimed his pulse rifle at him...

VVV

Jenny watched what was going on and then ducked behind parked cars forever getting farther away from the hospital. She crossed the busy road and then hurried down an underpass and climbed up the steap bank on all fours till she reached the litter guttering of the top.

She sat and crouched behind an old trash can and caught her breath. The pains had started again. Her eyes were welling up. Why the hell did she leave the safety of the underground? In her stupidity, she had gone and got Jeff captured.

She hoped he was alright...

VVV

Jeff sat in a small interview room in silence. Until the door opened and someone in jack boots entered.

He didn't look up...but he shuddered at the voice.

"Dr Moran...this is a nice surprize"

The doctor looked up to the face of his son-in-law, "You..."

Daniel smiled at him. No, it was more of a smirk, "You've been on the wanted list for quite a while...they will be pleased with your capture"

Jeff seethed through his gritted teeth, "Just get me Terri...I want to see my daughter..."

Daniel laughed and held up his left hand, Jeff looked at the ring finger. No ring.

As the penny dropped, Daniel spoke, "you see...me and Terri had to go our seperate ways Dr Moran...a marriage don't work out when there is NO trust"

Jeff's heart was beginning to pound, "where is she? WHERE is she Daniel?!"

Daniel shrugged, "Why, she had to go to the camp, didn't she...that's where all the traitors go...", he smiled at him, "...you see, if she was lucky, she might of gone to one of the nicer ones...but I've heard that in one of them, the Visitors like to line them all up against the wall and test their new weapons on them...so...SHE STILL can be useful"

He chuckled.

Jeff saw red, jumped out of the chair and smacked Daniel one under the chin, the Visitor friends Youth officer went flying into the wall and fell to the ground.

Daniel dabbed his lip with his fingers and saw the blood.

"You'll pay for that!"

Jeff held him back, "Didn't you love Terri? How could you let her go to that!"

"She deserved it! Lying bitches like her always get what's coming to them...she was laughing at me! Making me look stupid in front of all the others in the team...Brian told me to get rid...he's a friend of mine...a Visitor friend, my best man...he said I should just get rid because women are ten-a-penny...I'll just go out and get another one"

Jeff slumped to the chair and shook his head, "You are just a child"

"Don't call me that"

Jeff looked up, "Why not? Is that what your parents think of you? Poor Lynn and Stan...I think they are actually scared of you...does that make you feel good...to have power over your parents"

"They think I'm stupid too...they need kicking into line and realise they are no-bodies in this world now...they are not important and have NO say in what are the new order of things...just like YOU!"

Jeff looked up, "Can't you see what's happening around you? Why do you think the aliens have seduced the young? And recruited them...because they are the future...and it suits the future what the Visitors want! None of the old to keep them at bay and fight back. They don't need to brain-wash the young, because they are already brain-washed"

Daniel laughed, "They say the underground is full of old cronies...it won't be long before they are all snuffed out"

Jeff went silent, there was no talking to him.


End file.
